An evaluation of the BankSETA certificate in management development programme using Kirkpatrick's four-level model

Abstract

To date, there has been little, if any, holistic evaluation of one of the BankSETA programmes that bank employees are nominated to attend, the Certificate in Management Development (CMD). The programme began in 2010 with the aim of increasing the pool of skills in entry-level management occupations in the banking and micro-finance sector (BankSETA, 2016). In order to verify whether the CMD programme has achieved the purpose for which it was instituted by the BankSETA, it is important that a programme evaluation be conducted. The main aim of this study was to undertake a holistic evaluation of the CMD programme to determine students’ perceptions, their increase in knowledge, their ability to apply on-the-job learning and the impact of the programme on the organisation. It also aimed to identify any barriers or obstacles and to provide recommendations to the BankSETA. Kirkpatrick’s (1996) four-level model of reaction, learning, behaviour and results was used as the theoretical framework for this study. A convergent parallel design was used to gather and analyse the data. The convergent design allowed the researcher to use quantitative and qualitative data-collection methods simultaneously, prioritising the methods equally and keeping each phase independent during analysis, and to then mix the results during the overall interpretation of the findings. The findings of this study highlight the importance of programme evaluation and how indispensable this practice is to the success of any programme. Even though positive results were conveyed at every phase of the study, there are certain areas that can be improved upon in order to maximise the outcomes of the CMD programme.