| Learning Outcomes |
| · Sector and organization type are identified.
· Features of the occupational environment are described and discussed. · Ways in which these features affect learning processes and application of learning are described and discussed. |
- Introduction
Where you work (environment) and what type of work you do has an enormous influence on how receptive you are to learning. Some background knowledge on these obstacles can help you overcome them:
- Sector and organization type is identified
The economy of a country is divided into different parts called sectors. These sectors are made up of different types of organizations that all have the same focus area, i.e. they all do the same type of jobs or offer the same type of services. Let us look at some of the sector’s focuses:
♦ Services
The services sector of industry involves the provision of services to businesses as well as final consumers. Services may involve the transport, distribution, and sale of goods from producer to consumer as may happen in wholesaling and retailing, or may involve the provision of a service, such as in pest control or entertainment. However, the focus is on people interacting with people and serving the customer rather than transforming physical goods.
♦ Manufacturing
The manufacturing sector uses tools and labor to make things for use or sale. It ranges from handicraft to high tech but is most commonly applied to industrial production, where raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale.
♦ Construction
The construction sector consists of the following areas:
⇒ infrastructure, repair, and maintenance;
⇒ public and private housing;
⇒ non-residential public property (e.g. hospitals and schools);
⇒ industrial (e.g. factories and processing plants) and commercial construction.
♦ Farming
South Africa is divided into several farming regions according to climate, natural vegetation, soil type, and farming practices. Agricultural activities range from intensive crop production and mixed farming in winter rainfall and high summer rainfall areas, to cattle ranching in the bushveld and sheep farming in more arid regions. These agricultural activities are:
⇒ FIELD CROPS AND HORTICULTURE: Grain and oilseeds, sugar, fruit, wine, vegetables, cotton, tobacco, tea, and ornamental plants and cut flowers.
⇒ LIVESTOCK FARMING: Dairy farming, beef farming, sheep and goat farming, poultry and pig farming, game farming, and aquaculture (mussels, trout, tilapia, catfish, oysters, and waterblommetjies (Cape pondweed) are the major aquaculture species)
♦ Transport
The transport sector consists of the following areas:
⇒ Road transport
⇒ Rail transport
⇒ Air transport
⇒ Sea transport
♦ Mining
The mining sector involves all industries that extract raw materials (e.g. coal, ores, etc.) from the earth.
♦ Educational
This sector consists of:
⇒ Schools (government and private)
⇒ Colleges
⇒ Universities
⇒ Training centers
⇒ Distance learning centers
♦ Government
The government sector is also called the public sector because it is representative of the public. It is made up of three smaller sectors:
⇒ National Government: National Government’s responsibilities are everything to do with the whole country, e.g. defense, safety and security (police), health and welfare, finance, etc.
⇒ Provincial Government: Provincial Government’s responsibilities are everything to do with the nine provinces, e.g. provincial roads, provincial safety and security, education, etc.
⇒ Local Government: Local Government’s responsibilities are everything to do with the metro councils and municipalities, e.g. electricity supply, water supply, waste management, etc.
Within these various sectors, we find different types of organizations, e.g.:
| EXAMPLE |
| ♦ Government organizations: These organizations have only one shareholder – the government. Examples are National Sporting Federations, Eskom, Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, etc.
♦ Parastatal Organisations: These organizations are partially state-owned. Examples are Telkom, ACSA (Airports Company South Africa), etc. ♦ Heavy/Light Industry: These organizations are usually privately owned and listed on the stock exchange. Examples are Mittal Steel, SASOL, PPC Cement, etc. ♦ Large Organisations: These organizations are privately owned and listed on the stock exchange. Examples are: Pick ‘n Pay, Media24, etc. ♦ Small Business: These businesses are privately owned and seldom listed on the stock exchange. Examples are Mr. Video, your local butcher, your local spaza shop, etc. |
- Features of the occupational environment
The features of the occupational environment consist of everything that makes up that environment – physical and psychological. The physical characteristics are always the easiest to identify and discuss because they are tangible (can be seen and touched).
| EXAMPLE |
| ♦ Mining: Large machinery and equipment, lots of dirt
and residue, seldom spacious (inside the mine), etc. ♦ Heavy industry: Noisy, large machinery and equipment, sometimes exposed to weather conditions, often dirty, chemicals, etc. ♦ Large organizations: Sometimes hi-tech but impersonal, lots of goods being moved around, people traffic, etc. ♦ Small business: Limited resources, limited space, temporary labor, etc. |
The psychological features are not always easy to identify because they are not tangible. The different perceptions of people also make psychological features difficult to generalize (they do not always apply to everyone).
| EXAMPLE |
| ♦ Personality clashes
♦ Competitiveness ♦ Work ♦ Pressure, etc. |
- Ways in which occupational environment features affect learning processes and application of learning.
The environment in which one learns plays a very big role in how much learning takes place.
| EXAMPLE |
| As an example, think of trying to learn in a factory, where the machines are making a lot of noise, the workers are shouting to be heard and a siren is sounding to signal that shutdown is five minutes away. Some so many distractions and obstacles will prevent learning from taking place, even though the worker has the best intentions.
♦ Think of a worker trying to learn how to take stock during the annual stock-take. The environment will be a hive of activity, with noise and lots of movement interrupting his/her concentration. This situation will frustrate the ‘teacher’ as well as the ‘learner’, resulting in a negative experience for the worker. ♦ A final example is of workers attending a course at a training center. There they get to sit at a desk in a quiet classroom and pay uninterrupted attention to the facilitator. Should they require assistance, it is available immediately. |
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