NWU Puk and University of Gent signs agreement

An agreement of several millions of rands has been concluded with the University of Gent in Belgium to train black academics in the field of industrial and clinical psychology.

Profs. Jaco Pienaar of WorkWell and Cara Jonker of Industrial Sciences.

  Prof. Jaco Pienaar of WorkWell, the research unit for Economic and Management Sciences, says negotiations were initiated approximately two years ago with Prof. Johnny Fontaine of the University of Gent to do research on cross-cultural emotional skills.
  He says Fontaine has voted approximately €250 000 (more or less R2,7 million) to find three suitable black postgraduate students who are considering a career in the academic world and doing their doctoral studies. The students will spend four months each of the three years in Belgium where they will study under the leadership of Fontaine. Posts are also established at the University to expose the candidates to the teaching side of Industrial and Management Psychology.
  Prof. Cara Jonker of the subject group Industrial Psychology says in studying cross-cultural emotional skills, the meaning of emotions across cultures is looked into and also into the meaning of emotions after emotional episodes within the workplace.
  “We do research within the South African Police Services, which also means that we deliver community services in this manner.”
  She says an informal mutual agreement existed between her and Fontaine prior to this project regarding the meaning of emotions and that an international book is being worked on at present in which the South African data regarding the research will be reported.
  Pienaar says they hope to establish an emotional skills development programme for the SAPS to train new recruits to deal with emotional situations more appropriately. He says they are already doing some of their postgraduate research in this field within the Police Services.
  He says the aim of the agreement is to develop black academics and to present international training opportunities to Puk members of staff. Thirdly, they will also be able to develop the skills development programme for the SAPS.
  Prof. Michael Temane of the School of Psychosocial Sciences within the Faculty of Health Sciences is also working closely with the programme.