The Local Government Seta nominated the Stellenbosch University’s School of Public Leadership (SPL) for the most innovative training program in South Africa. At the Achievers award on Tuesday 12 March, Dr Harlan Cloete received the award on behalf of the SPL in Pretoria. The Director of SPL, Professor Johan Burger congratulated Cloete, “This kind of recognition gives motivation to aim for even bigger heights”.

Cloete, an Extraordinary lecturer at SPL completed his PhD under the supervision of Professor Frederick Uys in December 2016. The focus of his research was the Management of Human Resource Development (HRD) in South African Municipalities, where Cloete developed an Integrated Management Framework for HRD based on a collaborative approach.

The Local Government Seta then commissioned SPL (2016) to undertake research into the challenges facing skills development facilitators (SDFs) in South African municipalities. Cloete was asked to lead the team of researchers who concluded that SDFs were functionally competent, however the 2017 report concluded that HRD was poorly managed in South African municipalities. The LG Seta then endorsed the Integrated Management Framework for HRD as an implementation framework.  Cloete then developed the HRD for good municipal governance course and the school was once again commissioned by the LG Seta to roll out the course to the Skills Development Facilitators across the South African municipalities with Cloete as the lead facilitator. The course was well received and celebrated as relevant and timely.

In the same year Cloete and his supervisor presented a conference paper (based on his PhD) to the Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management (ASSADPAM), where their paper was adjudicated as the best conference paper.

Dr Cloete has successfully managed to turn his PhD into a national training programme for municipalities with an accompanying textbook, Guide to effectively Manage Human Resource Development in South African Local Government. The programme is currently being rolled out to members of the Local Labour Forums of municipalities across South Africa. “We want to thank SPL for giving the best that the country deserves, we are proud to be associated with you”, said Acting CEO of the LG Seta, Ms Nonhle Mashinini.