Paper Title
Employee Training and Skills Development in The South African Public Service

Abstract
It has been more than twenty years since South Africa overcame the apartheid regime. During this era, employee training and skills development were only reserved for the selected group. Classified groups such as women and blacks were not benefiting from training and skills development by then. In spite of various regulatory frameworks that focus on the transformation of society with specific reference to skills development, especially within scarce skills areas, skills development is still a problem. Training and skills development require serious attention and actionable solutions in the South African Public Service, in particular in the public health sector. It is paramount for Department of Health to prioritise and invest in employee training and skills development in order to provide quality health care services to all as per its vision. Therefore, employees must be well equipped in their positions in order to adjust with the change. The Department of Health is facing a crisis of shortage of skills due to factors such as staff turnover to Non-Governmental Organisations and abroad countries. Other contributory factors to skills development include, but is not limited, to new initiatives such as Primary Health Care Re-engineering and National Health Insurance policy, which require special skills in order to be effectively implemented. The main objective of this paper is to explore and understand the reasons for the lack of investment in skills development program in public health sector. This paper is essentially a review from previous literature on the related topic.The study will contribute to the body of knowledge and staff professional development. Keywords- Employee, Training, Skills, Development, Public, Health, Service