Dr Vangeli Gamede celebrating his achievement with his wife Nozi.PhD for College of Law and Management Studies Fellow
Growing up in a disadvantaged community at Thornybush Location in Umzimkulu did not deter newly-appointed Postdoctoral Fellow of the College of Law and Management Studies Dr Vangeli Gamede from realising his dream to obtain a PhD.
‘I have always dreamed of reaching this very pinnacle of the formal educational ladder,’ said Gamede. ‘I didn’t want my humble background to dictate against my achieving this highest qualification. If I were to liken a PhD to a mountain, I would say, yes, it is a steep and a slippery one, but by no means insurmountable,’ he explained.
Gamede’s study was titled: “The Transfer of Workplace Training to Performance with Specific Reference to Hulamin (Pty) Ltd” and it was supervised by Dr Maxwell Phiri of UKZN’s School of Management, Information Technology and Governance.
The focus of the study was on the identification of factors at play in the transfer of training from the training environment to the workplace. ‘My interest in the study was triggered by the current debate around the subject of the transfer of training, with some researchers claiming that of the acquired knowledge and skills gained during training only about 10% to 20% get transferred to the workplace.’
Gamede had to juggle a number of demanding roles including being a Manager of Clydesdale Senior Secondary School in Umzimkulu, a part-time Lecturer, a husband and a father of four children.
He said: ‘I had to try to strike a balance, to ensure that I did justice to all these engagements. I must confess it wasn’t a smooth ride, however I did get support from my family.’
During his tenure as a Postdoctoral Fellow he will focus on converting his thesis into publishable research.
- Hazel Langa