Enhancing lecturing staff morale at a technical and vocational education and training college in Newcastle, KwaZulu- Natal

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine strategies that could be used by relevant managers and authorities in promoting the morale of lecturers at a TVET College, in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. A qualitative research design and methodology was used to gather data from semi-structured interviews with the participants by means of two focus groups of six lecturers each and face to face interviews with the three programme managers. Purposive sampling was used to select the lecturers from the two engineering campuses of the sampled college. Data were constantly compared and analysed using the constant comparative analysis of data. The study found that aspects that contribute to low morale exceed those for high morale in the sampled college. Therefore, by studying the results obtained from the data, it can be deduced that lecturers at the College are not content with the current working conditions and the senior management style of the college. It is the duty of managers to consider the holistic welfare of employees. This is necessary for the creation of a suitable workplace for all staff of the college. To achieve this, supervisors and lecturers need to know what aspects influence staff morale. Henceforth, this study focused on effective strategies and recommendations that could be implemented to promote the morale of lecturers at the college.