NEMISA
STRATEGIC PLAN
2007/8
March 2007
INDEX
Page No.
1. Introduction…………………………………………………………3
2. Preamble……………………………………………………………..2
3. Future Vision………………………………………………………..7
4. Corporate Objectives………………………………………………9
5. Corporate Governance & Operational Principles…………….11
6. Corporate Strategy…………………………………………………13
7. Product Range & Service Delivery………………………………15
8. Promoting Government Plan of Action…………………………17
9. Funding……………………………………………………………….20
10. Operations Plan……………………………………………………..22
11. Organisational Structure…………………………………………. 25
12. Operational Controls, Policies & Procedures...…………….....28
13. Accreditation & Recognition……………………………………...30
14. Re-capitatilisation & Technology Plans.………………………..36
15. Quality Management Plan…………………………………………38
16. Franschhoek Training Facility……………………………………39
17. Operational Plan…………………………………………………….48
18. Marketing Plan………………………………………………………53
19. Appendix 1: Operations Matrix…………………………………..69
1. Introduction
NEMISA was established as an institution of higher learning in 1998
and began training in Broadcasting in 2000.
The introduction of the Creative Multimedia programmes followed in
2001
The decision to re-position NEMISA was taken by Government in 2003.
The NEMISA Board gave the Management strategic direction to develop a new Vision Corporate Plan in 2004.
The Board approved the final Business Plan for the new NEMISA (based on the New Vision Corporate Plan), in April 2006.
The new NEMISA was formally launched in July 2006.
Final preparations for the introduction of the new NEMISA followed August 2006 to February 2007.
Some activities took place, while the preparations were under way, in the last quarter of 2006.
The new NEMISA study programme commenced 12 February 2007.
2. Preamble
2.1 Background
Government approved the Strategy for the Development of Content Industries: Film, Broadcast and Multi-media Content in South Africa in December 2003.
Amongst other things, the Memo states that “NEMISA with its technical base will position itself as a hub in the production of television and multi-media content.”
Accordingly, the Multi-media Business Unit of the DOC developed a strategic document entitled “The Way Forward” in which it stated, amongst other things:
“The implication of this is that NEMISA has to be expanded to include the generation of local and digital content. The minimum three-year MTEF investment required to achieve the strategy that Cabinet approved and to carry out its extended mandate is R195 million. It also requires a new business and transformational plan.” It goes on to say:
“It must be noted that the arena in which NEMISA operates is dynamic and therefore subject to continuous change. This necessitates that NEMISA reviews its strategic thrust on an on-going basis. Some of theses changes include the convergence of technology, the merger of the institutions of higher learning, the NEPAD initiative and the changing consumer patterns in the multi-media industry.”
The DOC document then defined a proposed strategic objective for NEMISA as follows:
“To position NEMISA, within the context of its new mandate as a sustainable, relevant, effective, industry-led and advanced multi-media skills developer and content generator. It shall strive to apply such skills in the business/production environment both in South Africa and on the Continent.
To make NEMISA the South African Government’s electronic content development centre.”
The Cabinet Memorandum of November 2003 furthermore states: “The creation of a content hub at NEMISA would require an entirely new division.”
A newly appointed NEMISA Board ran a strategic workshop in September 2004 and used as its terms of reference the above documents. It then gave the management of NEMISA some strategic direction for it to draft a New Vision and Corporate Plan for the institution.
Management prepared a first draft plan and presented it to the Board early 2005. The Board asked that more work be done and asked the then Non-Executive Board member, Peter de Klerk to work with management in the preparation of a New Vision Corporate Plan in compliance with the new mandate defined by the DOC and reflective of the Cabinet decision that “NEMISA should position itself as a hub in the production of television and multi-media content” and that “the creation of a content hub at NEMISA would require an entirely new division.”
The management team first prepared a proposed strategic approach for the new NEMISA and deliberated it with the Board at a strategic workshop where agreement was reached with the team’s proposed strategic approach, barring minor amendments. Using that as a point of departure, the team prepared the NEMISA New Vision Corporate Plan that was endorsed by the Board in October 2005, where after it was considered by the Policy Unit of the DOC who agreed with it in principle.
In preparing the New Vision Corporate Plan the team was cognizant that developments in the education and training sector, as well as technological changes, presented the institution with a new set of challenges and opportunities such as:
- There was a need to ensure broader access to higher education and that South Africa had a system of education that was inequitable in its distribution of resources and opportunities.
- NEMISA was now operating within and serving the skills development needs of the broader Information and Communications Technology sector. This sector had undergone significant technological changes typified by the gradual migration towards the use of digital technologies, coupled with the convergence of technologies and services and significant changes in market structure. The implications for the players involved in the development of critical skills for this sector were that trainees, in this new environment require exposure to and experience in the use of the technologies in order to prepare themselves to become effective participants in the information society of today.
- The business and professional spheres that students would be entering had undergone dramatic changes. A suitably prepared student who could meet the needs, expectations and standards of this new environment would be in great demand and add value to the sector.
- Accordingly, NEMISA, in pursuing its strategic repositioning, had to address its future role in a highly dynamic training and development and technological environment. Whilst, hitherto, NEMISA had had a bias towards the recruitment of previously disadvantaged individuals from rural backgrounds and women in particular, the new positioning should be poised to enable the institution to play a critical role in the production of young and competent professionals with impeccable qualities with a broader demographic profile.
2.2 The Challenge
The transformation of NEMISA to meet its new mandate turned out to be a mammoth process, given the major shift from the old to the new NEMISA.
The New Vision Corporate Plan had to be prepared with empirical knowledge and desk research in order to meet approval and re-launch deadlines. This plan was to inform the final Business Plan. The finalization of the Business Plan had the benefit of a skills study conducted end 2005. The Business Plan gave effect to the Corporate Plan that was included together with an Operations Plan based on the defined Strategic Approach and Strategic Imperatives, culminating in a revised financial model.
Since then, however, further in depth work and on-going consultation with industry gave the institution considerably greater insight into needs and opportunities that gave rise to an immense amount of work to prepare the final proposed study programme and content generation projects, the development of costing models and that of accreditation and quality standard requirements. This translated into months of dedicated application by the then new management team that postponed the introduction of envisaged short courses in the second quarter 2006 and also drastically changed the originally envisaged study programme in the Business Plan, albeit then considerably more substantial than ever planned for. This will put the institution in a far more advantageous position in the medium term, but necessitated the re-casting of the financial forecasts for the 2006/7 financial year that was presented and approved by the Board in November 2006. This provided for the postponement of certain training courses and content development initiatives to the 2007/8 financial year.
A major challenge has been to deliver on the new mandate for NEMISA under extremely heavy financial constraints.
Facilitating the new NEMISA demanded a considerable increase in:
- Development costs
- Trading income
- Capital Expenditure
- Running Expenses
Apart from minimal increases in the MTEF allocations for 2005/6 and 2006/7 (R1, 036 million and R3, 459 million in 2005/6 2006/7 respectively) NEMISA could draw on no other additional monies to fund the new operation and had to rely on some savings from old projects and then generate some of its own revenue that it managed to do in the year 2006/7 and that is projected at R3, 434, 352, 00 for that period.
The challenge now is to continue to generate own revenue, or to persuade Government to contribute to NEMISA to a greater extent or do both, failing which NEMISA will not be in a position to provide financial assistance to some of its students that will change the very raison d’etre of the institution.
Another option is for Government to invite private participation by way of a PPP or some other means.
3. Future Vision
The future of the new NEMISA was effectively mapped out by Government in 2003 when, it declared NEMISA’s strategic objective “in the context of its new mandate.”
In essence, NEMISA was identified by the shareholder to drive “the process for the development of the content industries, film, broadcasting and digital media strategy.” Hence, the direction from the Cabinet Memorandum that: “NEMISA, with its technical base, will position itself as a hub in the production of television and multimedia content.”
So that, everything NEMISA does, henceforth, must be content related; from which was derived the motto that: “NEMISA trains to make content and makes content to train.”
The original Government Strategic Objective for the new NEMISA was defined as:
- “To position NEMISA, within the context of its new mandate, as a sustainable, relevant, effective, industry-led and advanced multimedia skills developer and content generator. It shall strive to apply such skills in the business/production environment both in South Africa and on the content.
- To make NEMISA the South African Government’s electronic content development centre.”
The strategic objective for the new NEMISA going forward remains unchanged and is the driver of this Strategic Plan for the 2007/8 financial year.
It is therefore embedded in the future vision for NEMISA.
The interaction that NEMISA has had with stakeholders and reference to research conducted by government in collaboration with industry as well as studies conducted by NEMISA over the past three years, has, however, also revealed a number of exciting opportunities. Capitalising on those opportunities will add enormous value to NEMISA as “an advanced multimedia skills developer and content generator” and will enhance the future vision of the institution. Incorporated in the mission and corporate objectives for the institution are the following:
- The Department of Communications, in collaboration with industry, conducted an intensive market study into the animation industry and found that it was a fast growing industry world wide and in South Africa, but that this country sorely lacked the requisite advanced skills found elsewhere. Consequently, skills are imported at high cost or low-level productions are done inefficiently, leading to inflated prices to the detriment of the industry at large. NEMISA had a wonderful opportunity to fill the gap and started by investing in a long-form animation production and acquiring an advanced animation curriculum from Canada and bringing in new skills from there that now enables the institution to play a leading role in promoting the animation industry in this country and, indeed establishing a content hub at NEMISA.
- To fulfil its developmental role in the ICT Sector and to compliment its generic training programme offered from the premises at Parktown, NEMISA has responded to industry demand and started the process of striking strategic alliances that, would lead to structured partnerships, with a number of organisations and institutions.
- These alliances are a vital component to the more responsible and far reaching role of NEMISA and, in particular, the broader and all-embracing mandate of the institution that demands of NEMISA to play a leadership role in promoting the empowerment and growth of the ICT Sector in its totality. Consequently, the institution has geared itself to forge theses partnerships and is programmed to either offer its generic training programmes or customise training needs for institutions or do both.
- These endeavours will considerably supplement the NEMISA revenue stream and help fund the expanded infrastructure and trading account.
Mission
The declared mission statement to deliver on the Government mandated strategic objective and future vision for NEMISA therefore is:
To:
- Take NEMISA into the future and offer a new product in advanced multimedia skills development and content generation.
- Make the institution a sustainable, relevant, effective, industry-led operation in an increasingly changing technological environment.
- Run NEMISA on business principles to survive in a highly competitive environment
- Generate revenue so as to make NEMISA increasingly less dependent, over time, on supplementary funding
- Create a unique niche with a totally integrated training and development and content generation offering.
- Offer full-time and part-time training courses for under and post-graduates straight from learning institutions or for the communications sector at large.
- Strike strategic alliances that lead to structured partnerships with organisations and institutions in the ICT Sector by delivering generic training programmes and/or customised training products where applicable.
- Ensure that everything NEMISA does is content related.
- Establish a content hub that reaches out to the entire private and public sectors’ multimedia communication needs and that serves both South Africa and the Continent.
- Make NEMISA the electronic content producer for the South African Government
- Facilitate the development of animation in South Africa and establish a content hub at NEMISA.
- Promote and support the Government Plan of Action
4. Corporate Objectives
4.1 Comment/Background
The strategic approach for the creation of the new NEMISA, in the 2006/7 Business Plan was to:
- Establish a new NEMISA that answers to new market demands and opportunities in a converged environment by”