UWC Demonstrates Commitment to Staff Retention and Development Initiatives

As South Africa continues to battle a shrinking economy and an unemployment rate of more than 31%, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) remains committed to bolstering its staff population to provide the best academic and support services to its students.

At the beginning of February, 105 new staff members were inducted over three days at staff orientation at UWC’s Main Campus in Bellville. The cohort consisted of academic, professional and support staff. From 6 to 8 February, the new appointees were brought up to speed about governance and policy management, institutional planning, risk and compliance, international relations and the University’s academic structures, to name a few.

Late last year, the Human Resources Department launched the Integrated Talent Management Framework (ITMF), which focuses on attracting, developing, retaining, and engaging staff. UWC Human Resource Executive Director Meko Magida was one of the keynote speakers at orientation and used the platform to elaborate on the University’s approach to attracting, developing and retaining staff.

“Recruiting is a crucial but challenging human resource management task. The key for organisations to overcome this challenge is to focus on talent building and not solely on talent hiring,” sad Magida.

Regarding talent retention, Magida said: “Mental health and decreased employee engagement is one of the main reasons employees leave an organisation. Due to huge market competition, people are constantly looking for better growth opportunities. The best way to retain talent is to provide staff with adequate perks and incentives as motivation.”

 Newly Appointed Associate Professor in the Linguisitics Department, Sisanda Nkoala

The three-day event also allowed staff to interact and learn more about the services and benefits offered at the institution. This resonated with the newly appointed Associate Professor in the Linguistics Department, Sisanda Nkoala.

“Where media studies are going, there is a need to bring very critical lenses to the field. UWC, with its social justice orientation and  colleagues really thinking in that way, I am hoping it’s going to grow me as a scholar and as an educator.”

As in every orientation over the years, the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, officially opened the engagement. This year, Prof Pretorius delivered his last staff orientation address as his term ends in 2024.

“Despite its humble origins, UWC stands as an intellectual home of the left. A leading institution in South Africa dedicated to addressing the challenges of the 21st century. While we are proud of how we have developed and grown, we may not rest idle. Our world is changing rapidly, presenting immense opportunities and challenges. I believe that UWC, with its proud tradition of overcoming adversity, is well positioned to address these challenges. Our research impacts in various fields and positions UWC as a leading research intensive university,”  said Prof Pretorius.

In closing, the MC for the event, Ms. Chantal Clark from the Human Resources Department, reminded the audience that when starting a new job you start on a new page. She invited saff to fill those pages with experiences, learnings and the wonderful opportunities the University offers them.