Page 10 - CAO 25th Ann Coffee Table Book

2018-2023
The past five years easily matches and even surpasses the instability and uncertainty in 2006 when the continued existence of the CAO was under threat . This was the year in which esAtI was dissolved and with it the CAO, which was a unit within esATI. But, we owe it to the then CAO Steering Committee of Ann de Meyer, Thiru Pillay
and Harold Reddy of The Durban Institute of Technology (today known as DUT); Daniel Sibya and Julian Thompson of Mangosuthu Technikon (today known as MUT), and Albert Koloko and Hennie Pretorius of UNISA, who were resolute not to see
the demise of the CAO. In January 2007 the CAO was registered as an independent Section 21 Company.
CAO STAFF ENJOYING THEMSELVES
While the 2008-2012 phase marked the introduction of a new IT system that required a rethink of the CAO’s business processes, it also introduced many challenges. Amongst others, the handling of the change management processes. While the intention was to move into the realm of a paperless environment, it merely changed the way paper was moved around inside the organisation.
In the years following 2012 this procedure was progressively enhanced until 2016-2017 when serious consideration had to be given to the deteriorating service of the South African Postal Services. Applications submitted via the postal service by eager and anxious candidates were lost, arrived many weeks after closing dates or did not arrive at all. This seriously impacted
on candidates pursuing their career options. It also placed our call centre and customer service department under severe pressure and had a knock-on effect for the institutions we were servicing.
At the beginning of 2018 we started the considered introduction of moving the CAO into the realm of a true paperless environment. This repositioning of our core business had to be introduced in a conscientious and cautious manner during a period of great instability within the higher education sector that was experiencing huge volatility with the ‘Free Education’ movement. Meetings with student organisations such as COSAS and SASCO were held and have since then become regular engagements.
Management Development Workshop - Team Building Exercise, San Lameer, 2023
Above & below: Staff Appreciation Awards, Coastlands Hotel, 2023
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