HRDC HOSTS BREAKFAST MEETINGS AND OPEN DAYS IN PALAPYE AND MAUN

The Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) has prioritised to embark on a number of stakeholder engagement as a vehicle to educate, inform and most importantly seek feedback from its diverse stakeholders.

It is worth noting that a number of targeted stakeholder communication platforms have been implemented over time. Therefore, in an effort to continuously improve on the same, HRDC hosted its inaugural Open Day on the 2nd September 2017 at the Palapye Old Mall and another Stakeholder Consultative Business Breakfast Seminar and Open Day in Maun on the 27th and 28th October 2017.

Giving the keynote address during the launch of the Business Breakfast and Open Days in Palapye, the Chief Executive Officer, HRDC, Dr. Raphael Dingalo expressed his sincere gratitude to the Palapye Leadership and Community for having embraced HRDC in their locality.  “This is an important day in the history of HRDC as this is our inaugural Open Day and it will accord us the opportunity to interact with you our esteemed stakeholders including members of the public” said Dr. Raphael Dingalo. One of the key objectives of these series of Business Breakfast and Open Days is to take HRDC services to the public, especially to the far flung communities that do not have the means to easily access HRDC’s products and services. It is through these activities that HRDC will be able to impart knowledge to its myriad stakeholders about its mandate as well as seek face - to - face feedback about its products and services.

Giving a vote of thanks during the inaugural Open Day in Palapye, the Area Councillor, Hon. Mphoentle Kabelo appreciated the initiative of an Open Day and noted that as the village leadership they have since learned a lot from the interaction and are in a better position to inform the public about the mandate of HRDC and the benefits they can derive from HRDC. The attendants during these Open Days included; the village leadership, students, business owners and the general public. Some of the HRDC Departments that exhibited during the Open Days were; Funding Department showcasing the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) services; Statistics, Research Development and Innovation (DSRDI); Institutional Planning and Work - Place Learning. 

A day preceding the Open Days, key stakeholders were hosted to a Stakeholder Business Breakfast Seminar. Some of the attendees included Levy Payers; Business Community, Education and Training Providers (ETPs) and Teachers from the local junior and secondary schools within and around the host villages of Palapye and Maun. Some of the main objectives of the seminar were to create awareness and educate stakeholders about the mandate, functions and strategic initiatives undertaken by HRDC and to interact with stakeholders and get their views and opinions about effective ways of transforming Botswana from a natural resource to a human resource based economy.

During the Breakfast Seminar, Dr. Raphael Dingalo informed the attendants that HRDC coordinates all efforts to develop Botswana’s Human Capital. “The National Human Resource Development Strategy (NHRDS) of 2009 highlights that Botswana needs to transform to a knowledge based economy. This will be evidenced by the production of new and innovative goods and services, development of sophisticated production processes and education and training that produces high level knowledge workers”, said Dr. Raphael Dingalo.

In one of the thought provoking presentations, the Manager, Claims Assessor Mr. Ndiwo Makula implored Levy Payers to utilise the Training Levy, as failure to utilise the Levy indicates that Companies are not developing their employees. He highlighted that HRDC will intensify Work - Place visits to guide companies on the process of developing and implementing their training plans and eventually be legible to claim from the training levy.

In conclusion, representatives from the Business community both in Palapye and Maun commended HRDC for the effort in educating their stakeholders on their mandate especially the programmes, initiatives and services offered.