This means that new appointees must be able to pick up the pieces of an abandoned portfolio, or learn quickly from those who are care-taking a position, and this dictates the need for a new appointee with appropriate experience in at least a closely related field. Working around this is costly, and requires explicit recognition by the University because it impacts Departmental performance levels negatively, at least in the short to medium term until new appointees are fully trained. Retention is affected by the high potential mobility of well trained staff who, as members of the designated groups, are still relatively low in number in the South African job market, and are in high demand to meet our competitors' equity targets. Retention depends on building loyalty to UCT, which in turn depends on perceived fairness in evaluation, remuneration, and promotion, as well as provision of a conducive work environment in both human and physical terms. All the issues dealt with in this section are common to the whole of the administrative area and need to be addressed by the University as a whole.
Every new vacancy is seen as a potential opportunity to appoint someone of colour to the post.
A conscious effort has been made to attempt to employ black men in the Department, because they are the most under-represented group. We will persist in viewing each new vacancy as an opportunity to approach employment equity. It is Departmental policy, and has been for the past three years, to attempt strenuously to employ persons of colour in any junior positions that become vacant, or in temporary positions where these are necessary. This we have done consistently, with good effect, and several of our present permanent equity appointments have stemmed from prior appointment on contract of staff who needed significant training. We propose a coalition of cognate departments for the purposes of evaluating new positions and potential appointees, in order to rationalise setting and attempting to attain employment equity targets.