Abstract
M.A.
Environmental Awareness is important in the protection of the environment and for promoting further business activities. Failure to protect the environment results in the depletion of natural resources which would subsequently lead to environmental degradation. Business activities can be considered as a major contributor to environmental degradation as they involve the acquisition and exploitation of large quantities of the world’s natural resources. It is therefore essential that all members of staff in a business have the relevant knowledge and appropriate skills to protect themselves and the environment. This knowledge can only be obtained through environmental awareness training and training should take place on all staff levels. Because it is very important to train all staff in business methods, this training should be nationally recognised and be of a high standard. To ensure that such a training programme meets this requirement, it should be registered with the national qualifications registration authority, namely the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). All SAQA-registered training programmes and unit standards have nationally accepted standards.
The main aim of this Mini dissertation is to determine whether or not a registered training programme specifically aimed at business in terms of the South African Qualifications Act on environmental awareness exists, and, if no registered training program is found, to design such a training program to meet this need.
The importance of environmental awareness training cannot be over-emphasised. Changes in South African legislation, such as the inclusion of clauses to protect the environment as in Section 24 of the Constitution, as well as international pressure whereby customers and suppliers are required to conform to international environmental standards and environmental accounting practices, have made it important for businesses to train all their staff to be environmentally aware.
The change in government in 1994 and the concomitant relaxation of sanctions, as well as the advent of the Internet, facilitating trade with other countries, has caused the world to become a “global village”. The business world has embraced technology with the result that communication is easier and relations between foreign countries have improved. Foreign customers now expect their suppliers in South Africa to comply with international environmental standards such as the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards.
Recently, shareholders have started demanding that their companies report not only on their economic activities, but also on their associated environmental and social responsibilities. The importance of the so-called “Triple Bottom Line” (the environmental, social and economic elements responsibilities of business) is now being emphasised.
In South Africa, stricter environmental laws such as The National Environmental Management Act (No.107 of 1998) and the proposed Pollution Prevention Bill, and their enforcement, have seen companies such as Thor Chemicals closed down because of their non-compliance with environmental legislation. The consequences of such constraints and other pressures have highlighted the increased need for business to train staff in environmental awareness. A registered training program has the advantage that the outcomes will conform to nationally accepted standards and that the learner will receive recognised credit for having completed the training programme successfully. Business will also be in a position to claim back part of the costs of training from its skills development levy.