Page 18 - CAO 25th Ann Coffee Table Book

2013-2017
Ann retired as CEO at the end of February 2012. She had been at the helm of the CAO from its start in 1998. There weren’t many who would have been able to lead the CAO through the turbulent years while it was a project within esATI,
never knowing from one year to the next whether the CAO would be allowed to continue functioning the following year. There is nothing more emotionally and physically draining than uncertainty.
Among the first objectives that George van der Ross set himself when he took over as CEO in the latter half of 2012 was to balance the CAO’s financials, which had suffered as a result of the cost of the development of the new IT system. Secondly, the staff who had largely been on fixed-term contracts and had now been made permanent, had to be re-schooled into taking responsibility and being individually and jointly accountable for their actions. Growing the relationships with institutional partners, applicants, and service providers was also high on the agenda.
At the same time, much effort was expended on broadening the participation in the CAO by FET (TVET) and private colleges. Demand from the college sector was also growing and CAO entered the 2013 cycle with two public FET colleges – Umfolozi and Elangeni – and 13 private colleges using the CAO to process their applications. From 28 June to 2 July, the CAO had a well-attended career fair at George Campbell School of Technology. Twenty organisations participated,
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