A group of fifty-one BTech Human Resources Management (HRM) students from various districts of the Free State Department of Education ready to be nurtured and groomed to become the best Human Resource Practitioners. They are joined and welcomed by leaders, lecturers and mentors who vowed to encourage, coach and support them throughout the programme.
Second row centre: Prof. Tshedi Naong, Head of the Department; Mr Ramoeletsi, HR Chief Director in the Free State Department of Education and Prof. Albert Strydom, Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences.

In response to the local, regional and national outcry for capacity development across various economic sectors of the country, the Department of Business Management in the Faculty of Management Sciences has partnered with the Free State Department of Education and TVET sector to ensure the capacity building is realised within the region and beyond.

After two successful intakes in the past two years, a total of fifty-one Human Resource officials from across various districts of the Free State Department of Education registered for the much sought after BTech: Human Resources Management in 2019.

To qualify for the programme, delegates had to apply for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to prepare them for the intensive programme. The group consists of experienced practitioners who cannot afford to leave their work stations for a protracted period to attend classes, thus, the department designed a curriculum that is fit-for-purpose and could accommodate their needs.

The programme is a flexible blended-learning method that runs for a full year on a block release schedule. According to Prof. Tshedi Naong, Head of the Department, part of the blended method includes the face-to face-sessions, projects and tests for each of the six modules offered. The support continues online where other relevant communication will be shared through the CUT e-Learning platform. A module takes approximately eight weeks to complete.