The Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Student Support and Development Services .ID Further Education and Training Colleges in South Africa

Abstract

The Student Support and Development Services (SSDS) at Further Education and Training (FET) colleges represent a holistic and systemic approach to addressing barriers to learning and development. College SSDS are based on the acknowledgement that all FET students need support and development and that, when addressing needs of the college student, it is done in a holistic, integrated, intersectional and inclusive manner. The SSDS therefore strive to develop competencies, knowledge, skills and attitudes in a systemic and holistic manner. The aim of the study was to design, implement and evaluate SSDS at the FET colleges in the Western Cape Education ..Department and to establish a Lecturer Support and Development Team (LSDT) at each FET college, which would include the following services: • student counselling services • academic development and learning support • occupational development and career guidance • life skills education and health education, and • college institutional development. Student counselling services at FET colleges aim to render comprehensive student services with a holistic developmental aspect of the student in relation to his/her social, emotional, physical and cognitive dimensions. The staff of the LSDT are the first line of contact for the troubled student. The aim of the study was to design, implement and evaluate SSDS at the FET colleges in the Western Cape Education ..Department and to establish a Lecturer Support and Development Team (LSDT) at each FET college, which would include the following services: • student counselling services • academic development and learning support • occupational development and career guidance • life skills education and health education, and • college institutional development. Academic development is aimed at the students who enter the FET sector with inadequate schooling, education and training. Orientation programmes include bridging the gap between schooling and FET education and training. Bridging programmes and remedial programmes are offered to students to compensate for their academic backlog and to accelerate their education and training up to a level suitable for FET. Within the context of academic development learning support is targeted at students experiencing learning and training barriers. This should occur within the framework of inclusive education and training at FET colleges, which is in acknowledgement of the belief that all students can learn and be trained at FET colleges. The development and support mechanisms at the college aim to offer comprehensive assistance to students who experience barriers to education and training. Occupational development and career guidance are aimed at helping the students to make informed and meaningful subject and course decisions which will enable them to enter a suitable occupation in the world of work. Occupational development is the development of appropriate skills, knowledge and competencies to keep students abreast with the fast and ever changing demands of the world of commerce and industry. The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) development has introduced student learnerships as a 'way of equipping students with the appropriate practical skills for a career. Life skills and health education includes the development of the well-being of students along physical, psychological, social and cognitive dimensions. The HIV/AIDS strategies are the highest priority at the FET colleges. The health promoting education and preventative measures are programmes aimed at minimising risks and giving the student coping strategies. Life skills and health education, which includes sexuality, are infused in the classroom education and training curriculum to ensure that all students are exposed to indispensable information aimed at equipping them for life in the world of work. College institutional development is the ongoing development of the college organisation where the college staff, management and community develop a systemic way of thinking about and managing change. With the clustering and amalgamation of colleges in South Africa, the transformation of the FET colleges necessitates adaptation of the individual and group systems to the development of education and training. The research commenced with a pilot study at eight technical colleges of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). The study followed a quantitative and qualitative research method to collect data from the college, staff and students. Two questionnaires were used to do a needs analysis. The College Institution Evaluation Questionnaire was then administered to 58 colleges in South Africa and the College Student Profile questionnaire to 2175 students. The data from these questionnaires were used to construct the training programme for the student counselling, academic development and learning support, occupational development and career guidance, life skills and health education programmes which were being conducted at 18 colleges of the WCED. A Student Support and Development Evaluation Questionnaire was then used to evaluate the effectiveness and value of the SSDS programmes. During an interview the Lecture Support and Development Interviewing Schedule was used to evaluate and to determine the efficiency of the LSDT at the college.