CHANGING A NATION: THE ROLE OF CRI IN SOUTH AFRICA
By Adolf Theron, Criterion Referenced Consulting, South Africa - atheron@crcn.co.za

There are countless examples of the positive bottom-line business results that Criterion-Referenced Instruction (CRI) has generated in organizations worldwide. But in this example, the impact of CRI extends well beyond the traditional corporate arena, touching people's lives and livelihoods, and helping to reshape a country.

In 1995, the new South Africa launched the South African Qualifications Act and Skills Development Act. The objectives of this act were to:

• Create an integrated national framework for learning achievements;
• Facilitate access to education, training and career paths;
• Enhance the quality of education and training;
• Accelerate the redress of past unfair discrimination in education, training and employment opportunities; and thereby
• Contribute to the full personal development of each learner and the social and economic development of the nation at large.

In response, the Provincial Skills Development Project was formed to test the draft legislation's intention to help previously disadvantaged citizens gain access to learning, build relevant job experience, and create or find work opportunities. Initially, the project focused on training for four specific jobs - face-brick laying, finishing carpentry, food preparation and cooking, and food and drink service.

The team decided that, in order to ensure that job training focused on the specific skills learners needed to acquire, an outcomes-based approach was required. Using the CRI methodology, the jobs were analyzed to determine employers' performance expectations and the skills and knowledge needed to meet those expectations. Then outcomes-based training and materials were designed and developed. At the same time, an action-learning program was implemented to provide mentoring support to educators, employers and program administrators.

The project results have been extremely positive:

• Over 200 learners completed the training program in the first 18 months, and many of these individuals found immediate employment upon completion.
• Learnership certificates (earned by learners who complete the program in full) are the first such certificates to be recognized by the new South African Qualifications Authority.
• Employers reported that learners showed more motivation, competence and determination than what they expected from previously disadvantaged individuals.

The project's success contributed to the same outcomes-based approach being utilized in a number of projects in both the public and private sector in both large organizations and small enterprises, as well as all learning fields. The South African Qualifications and National Skills Development legislation is now being implemented across the country, and the many practitioners who have been CRI-trained in South Africa since 1975 are now utilizing their skills and experience in these outcomes-based approaches to help turn South Africa into a winning nation!