Making up the deficit: a South African non‐formal education project for industrial personnel

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Abstract
As South Africa moves towards a democratic, non‐racial constitution it faces a problem of massive social rehabilitation after the social devastation caused by the policy of apartheid. Apart from the children still within a seriously inadequate education system, millions of adults earlier received inferior, and in most instances destructive, education and are poorly equipped to participate effectively within a new political and economic dispensation. In addition black and white South Africans are expected to bond to form a new, non‐racial nation yet for generations their lives have been rigidly segregated under apartheid laws and hence they hardly know each other. Non‐formal adult education initiatives which address these needs are thus a priority in South Africa. This paper describes a collaborative attempt between a university‐based agency and several industrial concerns to address the issue of personnel development through non‐formal educational means. Using the model of guided ‘apprenticeships’ in cognitive and social development and an action‐research methodology, the project targeted three focal areas for development: strategic thinking skills, team values and an internal locus of control. Over the period of a year, monthly events were structured into the project to facilitate participants’ development along these lines. Results indicate that significant development occurred amongst the majority of participants in the areas of self‐confidence, communication and relationship skills, and in the broadening of their general knowledge bases. The relationship of these results to the targeted areas of development is discussed and an attempt is made to explain the results through reference to the methodology and structure of the project.

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