Free State: The second generation of public servants since the dawn of democracy is gathered at the Bloemfontein City Hall to carve a way forward to advance the needs of society with much-needed vibrance and innovative thinking.
The first-of-its-kind dialogue aims immediately to form a forum for young people which will promote a healthy work environment for public servants in general and young public servants in particular.
Issues relating to the social aspect of the workspace environment, age cohort with regard to senior management positions, and health and wellness were raised sharply.
A young, vibrant public servant, Dipolelo Hou, from the Department of Sport Arts, Culture and Recreation, passionately highlighted the institution’s lack of room for growth for young people.
“It is extremely worrying that young people are stuck at level 6 or 7, and there seems to be no room for career advancement or promotion. If you take a look around this venue, you will find that there are only a handful of Deputy Directors at most.” She said.
The Free State Training and Development Institute has put forward a sterling presentation which showcased various learning opportunities for government officials on various levels, such as Training programs for interns, part-time bursaries as well as recognition of prior learning programs offered in collaboration with NSG National School of Government based in Pretoria amongst others.
Officials are urged to contact FSTDI to tailor make a program to improve their individual skills and contribute to their personal growth.
The Free State Provincial Government’s goal to tailor a responsive workforce is a relentless fight, which has seen the inception of this programme. The 15-member forum will be in place by the end of February 2024. Further details will be communicated on Government interactive platforms.
MEC Gadija Brown has expressed the interest of the government to keep institutional memory and continue to expedite service delivery. She also emphased the importance of advancing skills and young public servants to empower themselves by acquiring required qualifications.
Panelist Phiwe Mathe, a young public servant himself, spoke about youth accepting the responsibility of being an embodiment of change and the impact that an effective, youthful workforce can have with tools including technological innovation.
“Training and career pathing are essential as we currently have the type of public sector hampered by skills mismatch in the midst of the patriotic duty to our country and province to shape strategies of the Free State Provincial Government. Young Senior Managers (SMS) are critical to keeping institutional memory as it is important in building the Free State that we want and leave no-one behind.”
Nonceba Mhlauli, from the National Department of Communication and Digital Technology, was also a panellist and raised her concern about the well-being of young professionals and the lack of response to this, which has caused a serious lack of motivation to strive and perform optimally.
Another thorny issue which attendees raised from the floor of the packed City Hall, was professional bullying, particularly from senior managers.
The plea from young government officials of the Free State Provincial Government is one; We Need Support from Management NOW!