The results of an independent skills audit recently conducted at the SABC by PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that almost two thirds (62%) of the public broadcaster’s employee files had qualifications that were either “not authentic” or “incomplete”.
The audit also exposed that a number of employees possessed qualifications which were not at all related to the positions that they filled. In addition, there appears to be no proof on file that over 2 200 SABC staff actually passed
matric.
“The SABC is just one example of many government and business entities that lack the adequate internal resources to recruit quality talent,” says Kay Vittee, CEO of Quest Staffing Solutions. “It’s situations like this that support the
strong argument for outsourcing one’s recruitment process to an external service provider with the necessary expertise and experience.”
Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) refers to the process by which a company outsources part or all of its recruitment functions to an external service provider. This can include job postings, sourcing, screening, interview
scheduling and logistics along with offer execution, system compliance and human resources information systems (HRIS) data entry. This process also allows for personnel information audits and talent acquisition forward planning.
“Outsourcing this function ensures that the correct personnel with the correct qualifications are in the correct positions to fulfil an organisation’s primary function – in the case of the SABC, providing radio and television programming
that informs and educates the country’s citizens; a crucial responsibility, particularly in the run up to elections. It brings quality control and credibility to the recruitment process and personnel information management,” says Vittee.
“RPO is a growing trend in South Africa and has been swiftly taken up internationally for its ability to improve a company’s time to hire, increase the quality of the candidate pool, provide verifiable metrics, reduce costs and improve
governmental compliance.
“Some of the most valuable services that can be outsourced include screening and shortlisting, performing vetting checks, conducting skills and job-specific assessments as well as carrying out background verifications. These
ensure that only the best candidates are put forward for a position,” says Vittee. “In addition, utilising a team of experienced, professional recruiters means that open positions can be filled more swiftly.”