I ran an education and training management consultancy for more than 20 years. The advent of the Internet and broadband meant that I was able to work with clients in both South Africa and abroad, successfully maximising time and costs for all concerned. Consultancy services specialised in project conceptualisation, policy analysis, systems development, quality assurance and compliance as well as the development of learning materials. Over the time, clients included tertiary education institutions (local and international), sector education and training authorities (skills boards), private companies, government departments and donors, as well as grassroots community organisations.
Excerpts and samples of work product available on request
| Access Trust | Final report of the activities of the Trust when it was wound up: Closing the circle: two decades of advocating and supporting Technical and Vocational Education in the Western Cape |
| Afrec (Applied Fiscal and Research Centre, UCT) |
Troubleshooting: Assessment design and management, policy for the recognition of prior learning |
| Activists Networking against the Exploitation of Children (Anex) | Consulting: Options for accreditation as a provider of skills development |
| Brenda Eisenberg Consultant, United Kingdom, for City & Guilds |
Collaborative work researching and analysing the trainer training market in South Africa and Botswana, for and on behalf of City and Guilds, UK |
| Centre for Education Policy Development (CEPD)/Services SETA |
Research to investigate the development of (a) Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) model(s) and Credit Transfer and Accumulation (CAT) system(s) for the community development and Early Childhood Development (ECD) sectors Technical support to Services SETA: ETQA, Strategic Plan and Sector Skills Plan development processes, as part of the team merging the legacy occupational system with that for the Quality Council (occupational qualifications), streamlining, revising and re-engineering the ETQA policies and processes for its transition to a Quality Management Division |
| Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) |
Presentation to the Regional Broad Forum on the proposed amendments to the Skills Development Act and the proposed National Qualifications Act (pro bono). An evaluation of the CHIETA’s SMME provider capacity-building and accreditation project, from scoping study, to hand-over to the ETQA. The evaluation took into account the systemic barriers to workplace SMMEs gaining accreditation and included a series of recommendations. Draft CHIETA ISOE Strategy: Some comments (pro bono) Audit guideline documents and auditor training programme for the CHIETA ETQA to evaluate its education and training providers in line with SAQA requirements |
| Consol Glass (Pty) Ltd | Formulation of a guideline which could replace grade 12 as one of the criteria for employment, based on the principles in the proposed amendments to the Skills Development Act and related legislation which includes the development of level descriptors for the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). |
| Further Education and Training Institute (FETI), University of the Western Cape, Cape Town |
Member of the Project Management Team for the National Symposium of expert TVET practitioners for the development of qualifications of vocational and occupational trainers and educators held in August 2009. Joint preparation of comments on the draft policy frameworks of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), submitted to the Department of Labour on 31 October 2008) Contributor to the Institute’s comments on the Draft Policy Framework for FET College Lecturers, submitted to the Department of Education (September 2009 and 2012) |
| GIZ / Department of Labour | In association with Deborah Machard & Associates (Pty) Ltd: development of draft Criteria for SETAs: Implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation processes for Learnerships |
| Industrial Development Corporation of SA | For the Department of Trade and Industries: Research towards the development of a skills programme for the ship/boat building industry |
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Institute of Estate Agents of S A |
Report: Suggestions for Developing an FETC—Property: as Part of a Continuum of Professional Qualifications for the Property Industry |
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Independent Institute of Education(IIE is a subsidiary of AdVtech and is the overarching academic body for Varsity College, Vega – the Brand Communications School, College Campus and Rosebank College) In association with Deborah Machard & Associates (Pty) Ltd: |
Review of existing assessment strategies, guides and related documents for selected SETA courses, assessing compliance with the requirements of outcomes-based assessment in an occupational context, identifying gaps and making appropriate recommendations for remedying these. Development (including materials, appropriate activities and tools) and co-facilitation of a three-day capacity-building-cum-experiential learning intervention for the IIE faculty |
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Public Sector Education and Training Authority In association with Deborah Machard & Associates (Pty) Ltd: |
Design of a principle-based system for learning programme evaluation Capacity building of learning programme evaluators Research into the application of RPL in the public service Development of a guideline and tools for rolling out RPL in the public service |
| Sports Science Institute of South Africa |
Strategic consulting services on the impact of legislative and environmental shifts on the ETD/training department and its operations/service offering. Development of a quality management system for its training division for accreditation as a training provider by THETA. |
| S A Oil and Gas Alliance |
Consolidation of research into skills gaps on the West Coast of South Africa, and the development of associated project proposals Consultative process on, and development of, a principle based guideline on RPL for the oil and gas sector in South Africa As a joint venture with an accredited training provider, the development and piloting of two learning programmes for occupational trainers/instructors in the oil and gas industry: 12-day train-the-trainer course and a course on on-the-job training. Fiona Cameron Consulting’s role was the curriculum and methodological design, development and writing of unit standard aligned learning materials with embedded (integrated) assessments. |
| Swiss South African Co-operation Initiative (SSACI) |
Evaluation of skills training programmes that SSACI funds to, among other things: verify that training took place as well as to appraise the quality of the curriculum, its mode of delivery, educational value, relevance, coherence, practicality, etc. Investigation into the feasibility of an identified NGO seeking accreditation as a provider of hospitality-related training. |
| University of Newcastle, Australia | For six years, concluding in 2013, in-country representative, as project coordinator, stakeholder manager and advisor on education policy in relation to potential initiatives and partnerships with South African education institutions, and with special emphasis on TVET and ECD teacher and educator development. |
| WDM Workforce Development Consultants, Canada | Consultant advising of the education and training landscape in South Africa, on a project concerned with validation trade maps for plumbers (South Africa in relation to Canada). |
Comments on draft legislation and/or policy in South Africa
| 2014 | Draft National Policy and Criteria for Designing and Implementing Assessment for NQF Qualifications and Part Qualifications and Professional Designations in South Africa : Comments |
| Draft National Policy and Criteria for Credit Accumulation and Transfer: Comments | |
| 2013 | Ministerial Task Team report: The Establishment of a South African Institute for Vocational and Continuing Education and Training (SAIVCET): Comments |
| 2012 | South African Qualifications Framework draft policy on the Recognition of Prior Learning |
| National Qualifications Framework sub-framework proposals | |
| The Green Paper on the Post School Education and Training System in South Africa | |
| 2011 | Comments on QCTO Draft Policies (Delegation of Qualification Design and Assessment) |
| 2010 | National Skills Development Strategy III (2011 to 2016) and proposed SETA Landscape |
| 2009 | Draft Policies Relating To The Occupational Qualifications And Quality Assurance Frameworks |
| 2008 | Comments on the proposed Skills Development Amendment Bill 2008, submitted to the Department of Labour on 27 March 2008 |
Papers and publications
| Skills plan puts Setas in hot seat | Mail & Guardian, 25 February 2011 |
| National Symposium on the development of qualifications for vocational and occupational trainers and educators | The South African Policy Environment – joint presentation with Seamus Needham, FET Institute, UWC, August 2009 |
| CHIETA (Chemical Industries SETA) | The Skills Development Amendment and the Qualifications Framework Bills: Presentation to the Broad Regional Forum (Western Cape), May 2009 |
| 2008 Conference of the International Association of Colleges and World Congress, New York, USA | Developing new partnerships – the importance of context, co-authored and presented with Donna Hensley, University of Newcastle, Australia |
| Scarce Skills Summit | Scarce Skills: An international partnership approach to training quality trainers for scarce skills |
| MyMoneyforLife© | A personal finance management course, designed around a simulation game, and co-authored with associate, Arlene Adriaanse. |
| Winning Essays, Assignments and Reports: A Handbook | Designed to help novice writers to work with their own writing and strengthen it. |
| S A Auditing and Training Certification Association (SAATCA) | Co-presenter: Developing a Quality Management System for Training Providers |
| 6th IAC International FET Colleges Conference | A Case for a Uniform Approach to Systemic Quality Management in the SA Education & Training System |
DMA e-zine contributions
| May 2005: | Small Training Providers: The Challenge of Managing Quality Systems in Compliance with accreditation |
| August 2005: | Accredited Training: What does it mean—for the Provider and for the Consumer? |
| October 2005: | National Qualifications Framework Impact Study: Report 2: Cycle 2 (April 2005) – Key points from the Executive Summary and some comments |
| December 2005: | Taking stock of the year that’s past, and looking ahead to the New Year: Developing strategies for ongoing monitoring and evaluation |
| e/merge 2004 | Co-presenter/author: Online Writing Tutoring: Its Potential in Southern African Education |
| IRR Training (incorporating the council on education in management) | The Skills Development Act Conference, 26-28 July 2000, Cape Town:Paper: Practical steps aimed at amending existing training programmes to comply with unit standards and aid the swift implementation of the Skills Development Act to take full advantage of increased worker competence. |
Learning support materials/programmes/products (not listed above)
| Managing Poor Performance: Essential skills and tools for managers and team leaders | Development of workshop methodology materials, jointly owned by Arlene Adriaanse, Forefront Training; piloted and successfully implemented in subsequent years in a private hospital group as well as for an international sportswear brand, and a leading home shopping company. |
| Coaching skills for supervisors | Four-module course for team leaders and supervisors who are expected to coach co-workers and team members when they are found to have gaps in their knowledge and/or skills. Aligned to unit standard Coach a team member in order to enhance individual performance in work environment |
In association with
| Triune Business Solutions | Development of The Quality Framework for Training Providers© which provides the basis for developing a compliant, customised, elementary policy and procedures manual through a hand-holding and consultation process that facilitated the development of a best-practice quality management system unique to that provider. |
| Tutor suite, USA and South Africa |
Conceptualising a syndicated approach to asynchronous online writing tutoring Conceptualising a comprehensive in-service training programme for South Africa-based online writing tutors Development of a Handbook for South Africa-based online writing tutors Online writing tutoring for students of continuing education and post-graduate courses (ages ranging from high school to mature adults), with two US-based institutions, Smarthinking.com, Washington DC, and the University of Phoenix, Phoenix |
Conferences organised
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SkillZHub Conference 12 and 13 November 2013 |
Towards a coherent Post-School Education and Training Sector in South Africa |
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The trans-disciplinary conference on early childhood development and education 17 and 18 July 2012 |
What is the relationship between the Millennium Development Goals and Early Childhood Development and Education? |