Human Resource Management

CPUT's Human Resources Management (HRM) academic department strives to become a leading HR education provider in Africa and beyond. The department’s mission is to:

• Develop independent learners who are critical thinkers that meet industry needs.
• Provide an efficient, sustainable and friendly environment for learners and staff.
• Offer internationally recognised programmes that contribute to scientific knowledge production.
• Nurture a professional environment founded on ownership and accountability for learners and staff.

All academic programmes offered by the HRM department are accredited and professionally recognized by the SA Board for People Practices (SABPP). In recent years, SABPP launched the National HR Competency Model (SABPP, 2012) and the National HR Professional Practice Standards (SABPP, 2014) to set benchmarks for HR professionalism and HR curriculum in the modern South African working environment. Notably, the SABPP is the first HR professional body in the world to have launched both national competencies and professional practice standards.

Furthermore, CPUT launched the first SABPP HR Student Chapter in the Western Cape (May 2017). SABPP Student Chapters aim to invite HR students to join SABPP as student HR members to assist and prepare students as aspirant HR professionals to enter the world of work upon completion of their studies. Thus, the SABPP Student Chapter is a consortium of HR students driven by SABPP to professionalise the mindset and preparation of HR students. The CPUT SABPP HR Student Chapter aims to serve the needs of CPUT-registered HR students, including those with undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications.

In keeping with its mission, the department develops professional HR practitioners competent at performing roles and functions required at all Human Resources (HR) levels. An active Advisory Committee, with industry partners representing both private and public sector organizations in the Western Cape, ensure relevant and updated curriculum in human resources management (HRM), human resource development (HRD), labour relations (LR) and business management subjects. The department has established itself as a centre of excellence for full- and part-time education of HR practitioners within the Western Cape.