Implications of the merging of further education and training institutions in Gauteng Province

Thesis (MTech. in Education)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2009.This study endeavors to establish how successful the merging of institutions in Gauteng has been. Previously there were 150 technical colleges in South Africa, of which 50 were in Gauteng Province. The 50 colleges have had to be reduced by the merger process into eight colleges each with various campuses. Each clusters of the colleges centralized its functions to its head office while the former colleges became campuses in each cluster. The merger process did not happen overnight as it affected all involved; i.e., learners and all employees. The study seeks to determine how successful the merger has been. A qualitative approach has been used in this study. Data has been collected through interviews and observations. The researcher interviewed various stakeholders such as learners, educators, heads of departments, administration staff as well as senior members of management. The researcher took a closer look at how various functions of the colleges were affected and the impact the merger had on human resources. Although the merger process has had some success, the researcher concludes that there were certain areas which showed some problems and challenges which need to be addressed by the colleges. The researcher concludes by making some suggestions on the findings of this study