There are three thematic areas of project focus within the
Employment Promotiom Programme Phase II:
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Identification and implementation of measures to reduce priority
skills gaps in South Africa
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Support for regulation to be designed in ways which are
conducive to employment creation
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Support for labour market organisations to make them operate
more effectively and efficiently
While the most important project in the first area of focus has been
the ongoing support for the Joint Initiative for the Promotion of
Skills Acquisition (JIPSA), the EPP has also supported a review of
Government’s Human Resources Development initiatives for the
Presidency’s 15-year Review, as well as a skills audit of Eskom and
related electricity infrastructure.
EPP has supported a wide range of projects in the second focus area.
These include support for training of government staff members
involved in the implementation of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA)
pilot legislation, a review of South Africa’s Competition Policy and
Authorities for the Presidency’s 15-Year Review and a Clean-up of
the DTI’s Small, Medium Enterprise Development Programme (SMEDP)
database. EPP support was also instrumental in the development of a
framework for regulators in each of the country’s network industries
(energy, telecoms and transport). Support for the review of the Jobs
for Growth Programme and for certain pilot projects of the Community
Works Programme are examples of the key role the EPP plays in
contributing funding to pilot projects or reviews of pilots where
the expansion of the initiative is set to take place through
government’s policy and/or budgeting process.
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The projects in the third
thematic area have been
providing support to labour
market institutions whose
improved functioning will
improve the efficiency of the
South African labour market as a
whole. This includes a
Commission for Conciliation,
Mediation and Arbitration of
South Africa (CCMA) initiative –
managed by office of the CCMA’s
CEO – with the overall objective
of enhancing the economy’s
dispute resolution system. The
Employment Promotion Programme
is also providing support to the
Department of Labour to improve
access to information on
collective bargaining and lay
the basis for further
improvements to the IT
environment in the Department of
Labour.
The EPP Phase II continues to
support the debates around
labour market regulation, with
specific projects including a
comparative study on legal
reform strategies and policy
which seek to reduce inequality
by drawing informal workers into
protected work. Other projects
include an analysis of
industrial action in
construction projects associated
with the 2010 World Cup and an
investigation into the right to
strike of essential services
workers.
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