1. What is the Women's Development Programme? This project is an industry wide collaborative effort especially developed to promote the advancement of women into senior management positions in the banking and microfinance industries. A major objective is to create a pipeline of female leadership talent. 2. Who are the main partners in this initiative? BANKSETA has partnered with The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management and Rito Consulting Services to enable the delivery of this project. The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management is the training service provider. The Da Vinci institute will do the following: Customise the training material to make it more sector relevant Implement both the local academic and international learning component Oversee the development and implementation of the Community Project Facilitate the focus group meetings Rito Consulting Services is overseeing all the communications and public relations aspects as well as co-ordinating the networking events and life long programmes which will have a Leadership theme across all programmes. 3. How long is the programme and how does it work? This is a three year programme running until March 2010 with 3 annual intakes starting early in 2007 Forty candidates are to be nominated by their organisations as per preset quotas. A further 15 will be short listed to take part in the structured learning programme which forms the academic component. The remaining 25 candidates will be actively involved in the ongoing networking sessions and continued learning programmes as well as the Programmes Community Development Project and the Focus Group Discussions. An additional 450 women per annum will have access to the Leadership Life Long Learning programmes. Dates of the Life Long Learning programmes will be published on the BANKSETA website. Women wishing to be invited to the Leadership life long learning programmes should advise Caroline King carolinek@bankseta.org.za at the BANKSETA who will compile a database for invitation purposes. 4. Is this programme only for women? Yes this programme has as its primary target women. However, it is also recognised that men in the banking sector have an important role to play in the development of the industry’s talent. All networking events will aim to have a mixed audience. 5. What is in it for the nominees? How will they benefit? The programme aims to build a pipeline of suitably skilled and qualified women who in the medium to long term will become eligible to move into senior management and executive roles within the banking sector. Successful candidates will therefore be well positioned as it provides opportunity for leadership training, networking as well as community involvement. 6. How does the nomination process work? Forty candidates will be nominated by employers in the banking and micro finance sector. These nominees go through an assessment process which involves writing a motivation on topics that are predetermined, a short presentation and interview by a panel made up of the sector, the project committee, the BANKSETA and The Davinci Institute for Technology Management. This assessment results in the identification and selection of fifteen women who will undertake structured academic part of the learning programme. The other 25 women remain actively involved in the programme through focus group discussions, community development project, the life long learning programmes and ongoing networking sessions. 7. What other Management and Leadership programmes does BANKSETA offer? Masters Bursary Schemes And Executive Short Courses International Executive Development Programme in Canada and the United Kingdom 8. When was the BANKSETA Women’s Development Programme launched? The BANKSETA’s Women’s Development Programme was launched at Constitution Hill in Braamfontein, Johannesburg in March 2007. 9. Why was the programme introduced? The BANKSETA recognises that the banking and micro finance sector will be hard-pressed to meet Finance Sector Charter targets for human resources. The dire shortage of Black women at senior management level impacts on all sectors of the economy and negates any possibility of the banking sector achieving its Finance Sector Charter and Employment Equity targets through recruitment. Recognising that the banking sector had to “grow its own timber,” the BANKSETA Council approved funding for the programme in November 2005. The programme will create a pipeline of female talent, who are well positioned for promotion into senior positions within the banking sector. 10. Why is the programme historically important? The programme is historically important because it is the first time that banks and micro finance institutions in South Africa have collaborated to create and implement a development programme with the primary objective of building a pool of highly skilled women in banking. 11. How long will the programme run? The BANKSETA’s Women’s Development Programme will run for a three-year period. Forty women are guaranteed participation in the programme each year. Fifteen candidates will participate in an academic component, which includes an international study tour. The remaining 25 women form part of the support group, which interacts with these women, and assists them wherever possible to implement action learning topics in the workplace. Cohorts attend networking sessions, where they have an opportunity to interact with senior-level women within the sector. 12. How many organisations participated in the BANKSETA’s 2007 Women’s Development Programme? Twelve organisations participated in the 2007 programme. Participating organisations include: African Bank, ABSA, Barclays, Teba Bank, City Group, Mercantile, Standard Bank, Nedbank, Lemas Trading, FirstRand and the BANKSETA. 13. How does the programme differ from other management development programmes? A post-modern, experiential learning programme, the programme focuses on the management of people, the understanding of innovation, and the integration of technologies within a systemic context. 14. Which service provider is providing the academic content? The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management is responsible for providing the academic component. 15. Do the candidates obtain a formal qualification on completion? Candidates receive credits towards the NQF Level-6 Diploma in Management of Technology and Innovation in the domain of Leadership. 16. How do candidates get onto the programme? Candidates are nominated by their employers. In order to qualify for nomination, candidates must be employed at a middle management or professional level, have a minimum of 5-7 years work experience, have the ability to operate in an environment of multi disciplined teamwork, and possess excellent communication skills. 17. Why was China chosen as the destination for the international study tour? China has a long history of women’s development and women in business. Women in China contribute 41% of GDP. South Africa also has very strong links with China: China is South Africa’s second largest import partner. 18. What were some of the important learnings from the visit to China? Many important lessons were learnt in China. Undoubtedly, the most important include the fact that the Chinese tend to look at opportunities rather than obstacles. They also tend to judge a person on contribution, rather than on gender. If embraced, these two lessons could have a profound and very positive impact on the banking sector in South 19. Is this the first conference that the BANKSETA Women’s Development Programme has hosted? This is the second conference that that Women’s Development Programme has hosted. The programme hosted a very successful conference in November last year entitled: Leading Change. 20. Will the programme be offered again? The programme will be offered again in 2008. The 2008 programme will be launched at the Women’s Development Programme Conference on 12 March 2008. Thirty-one candidates have already been recruited. 21. Will the 2008 programme differ from the 2007 programme? Candidates on the 2008 academic programme will visit India, instead of China. A mentoring programme will also be added to the cohort programme. 22. Will candidates on past programmes continue to be involved with the programme? Alumni on the 2007 programme will continue to be involved with the programme through a Mentorship Programme, which they will introduce later this year. Candidates will mentor final year students from tertiary institutions. The alumni will work very closely with cohorts on the 2007 programme on the mentorship programme. PROGRAMME INFORMATION 1. How does this Women’s Development Programme relate to existing programmes already available within my company? The intention is for this programme to be complimentary to other organizational specific initiatives. The programme is neither a substitute for nor in competition with any strategies for the development of women that may be in place or contemplated by any of the banks and micro finance companies in the sector. 2. Does this programme guarantee one’s advancement in the industry? The programme does not guarantee advancement, but serves as a comprehensive development programme to equip and or enhance leadership competencies to take up senior roles in the sector. 3. What is the commitment in terms of time off work? DO I have to leave my job completely in order to participate? For the fifteen women embarking on the structured academic component of the programme there will be a total of 35 contact days which includes the overseas study tour to China. For the twenty five women, there will be opportunity to attend 2 one day life long learning programmes, 1 networking breakfast and 1 conference in March annually. In addition these women will join the fifteen women for 4 Focus Group Discussions. This will be afternoon/early evening sessions. 4. How does one qualify? Candidates are nominated by their organisations based on the following criteria: General Entry criteria. The following criteria are intended to serve as guidelines for the nomination of candidates onto the programme: Women only Currently employed at Middle Management / Professional level Have at least 5-7 years working experience Must be able to operate in an environment of multi‑disciplined teamwork Possess excellent communication skills Academic criteria The following criteria are intended to serve as guidelines for the nomination of 15 candidates onto the structured learning programme. For admission purposes, The Da Vinci Institute recognises the following qualifications (or equivalent) and experience: The Da Vinci Institute Certificate in the Management of Technology and Innovation, OR A certificate at an NQF 5 level, accredited by the Council on Higher Education, plus two years working experience, OR Other academic qualifications, accredited by the Council on Higher Education, plus three years working experience, OR Five years managerial working experience. Such students will be admitted on a provisional basis, subject to adequate support from their employers, and subject to the successful completion of the first 3 modules of the programme. 5. Should the nominee have no qualifications but have experience? Applicants who have not obtained formal qualification may take part in the programme provided they demonstrate competence with regard to the required NQF 5 level descriptors. They should however have several years of relevant work experience. 6. Is there an entrance exam in order to qualify? No, but there are motivation forms that have to be completed. There is also an assessment process for those women wishing to be considered for the academic programme. 7. How is the cost of the programme to be covered? The full cost of the programme for each candidate will be covered by the BANKSETA, including the international component. However, all local travel as well as subsistence allowance for the overseas study tour will be at the individuals organisation’s cost. 8. Are there penalties should a nominee be unable to continue with the programme once started? A commitment to complete the programme is sought as the financial investment is significant. Beginning but not completing the programme takes a development opportunity away from other equally deserving women. The BANKSETA is required in terms of the Public Finance Management Act to recover costs.