TWO UCT staff members were among a cohort of 16 women from Western Cape tertiary institutions to attend a month-long development programme in the United States.

Judith du Toit, Head of Remuneration and HR Policy, and Kim Weyer, Internal Development Services Manager, joined women from the University of the Western Cape, the University of Stellenbosch, Peninsula Technikon and Cape Technikon on the HERS-SA programme in April 2002.

During the first week of the programme all sixteen women were based at Wellesley Inn, just outside of Boston, were they participated in a structured programme, which included aspects of self-assessment, career development and exposure to a number of women in senior leadership positions in tertiary education in the United States.

In the second and third week of the programme four participants were placed at one of the following four institutions, Wellesley College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College and the University of Massachusetts, where they focused on a project they wanted to investigate with their host institution.

Weyers' project investigated project/campaign management and donor/prospect management while Du Toit's focused on general Human Resource issues with a focus on remuneration structures, policy and implementation.

"The programme was rounded off by an in-depth discussion of our experiences and how we would take these back to our institutions in South Africa, both to strengthen our own career planning and management and also to provide a platform of support, encouragement and networking for all women in tertiary education in South Africa," said Du Toit.

Both candidates agreed that the HERS-SA programme was an enriching experience both personally and professionally.

"I felt honoured and privileged to be nominated for the HERS-SA, April 2002 programme and the experience far exceeded my expectations," enthused Weyer.

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