WSG helps government communicators hone skills
- Kemantha Govender
Marketing and communications are increasingly playing a key role in the public sector, says Themba Maseko, former GCIS CEO.
Maseko, former CEO of the Government Communication and Information Systems, joined the Wits School of Governance as an academic champion for the Government Communications and Marketing Executive course.
The course, run over five weeks, provides an overview of the theory and practice of public sector management, with a specific focus on communications and marketing. The course explores key areas of government communications and marketing through an interactive teaching and learning approach.
Maseko said his role as an academic champion means assuming responsibility for all aspects of the delivery of the programme, including selecting facilitators, screening all the applicants for the course, quality assurance, ensure alignment with approved course and finalising the time-table and assessment dates.
“The public is increasingly aware of their rights to access information and improved services. Government is increasingly under pressure to improve service delivery to communities. This means that government has a major task of making sure that citizens are properly informed about services that it provides.
“Government communicators face the challenge of up skilling themselves to ensure that they can meet this communication task. I accepted this challenge because the programme will give communicators the opportunity to learn new skills and be better prepared for the challenges facing government,” says Maseko.
The WSG goes through great lengths to ensure the course material is relevant and up to date, especially considering that it is becoming a more complex and dynamic environment.
“They face challenges and demands which require them to be multi-skilled to ensure that government information is accessible and that reaches citizens and all stakeholders in society. The course material has been carefully selected to enable participants to be exposed to the latest developments and ideas in the marketing and communication environment.
“For example, there will be extensive exploration of the socio-economic and political environment using scenario planning as a tool for understanding their context. In short, the course material will provide participants with the necessary tools to become better communicators,” added Maseko.
For more information on the course, please email shortcourses.wsg@wits.ac.za