The Implication of the HEQSF Act for Human and Financial Resources

Abstract

Phasing out of existing qualifications and phasing in new ones on a large scale is a costly exercise. This research sought to determine how the implementation of the Higher Education Qualification Sub-Framework (HEQSF) would affect human and financial resources at Universities of Technology and to develop a tool to manage the phasing in and phasing out of qualifications on a large scale in a sustainable way. The Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) at a University of Technology (UoT) was used as a case study. The study utilised existing Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) data to develop a model to conduct a needs analysis and to predict future requirements. The model takes into consideration the programme qualification mix, the number of students enrolled in each programme, the estimated throughput and graduation figures based on historical data of similar qualifications. The primary contribution of this study is the development of a model that predicts how the phasing in/phasing out of programmes of a faculty affects the workload of academic staff and the subsequent financial implications for the institution. The purpose of the developed model is to enable the faculty to predict accurately the quantity of additional human resources needed during this process of phasing in and phasing out new and old programmes. This will enable the faculty to determine human resource requirements and student enrolments to align them with the university’s targeted budget allocation.