SACAA Annual Report 2022_23

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have commenced with industry towards the roll-out of the new fee structure. This process will now follow the regulated tariff amendment process. INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY The 2022/23 financial year marked the end of the three-year ICT strategy, with the organisation achieving all its targets in the implementation of the strategy. I declared 2022/2023 as the Year of the Client, and the automation journey that the organisation started more than four years ago, was earmarked as the vehicle through which the promise of efficient services would be delivered to the clients. Having implemented modules that were internally focused in previous financial years, the 2022/23 financial year focused on major projects that benefitted the clients directly. To this end, the SACAA launched an interactive website powered with an eService portal that enables operators who are already holders of SACAA approvals to renew their various certificates by using this end-to-end online system, even allowing them to pay via credit cards. The facility will soon include many other payment methods. The portal enables the industry to book and pay for their examinations online; they can verify the credentials of Aviation Training Organisations before registering at an aviation school, etc. The biggest benefit of the system is that clients are able to track their applications in real time and can therefore follow up when there are any delays with their applications. The phasing in of automated card licences, with their security benefits and real-time updates, is nearing completion, with only the Commercial Pilot’s licences and Airline Transport Pilot’s licences still being implemented. The SACAA also launched a Client Contact Centre that operates from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is equipped with knowledgeable agents to assist with client queries on the spot. The contact centre statistics

already show that service levels are above 90%, which is in line with the 20-second call pick-up target. The next phase of the automation project is to process all new applications online without a need to visit the SACAA offices. AN ENHANCED HUMAN CAPITAL The Board approved a five-year Human Capital strategy that is aligned to the organisational strategy three years ago. During the reporting period, the organisation recorded several milestones in the implementation of the Human Capital strategy. The organisation introduced a women mentorship programme for individuals and groups. This programme is one of the activities implemented by the organisation in ensuring gender equality within the organisation. The organisation also concluded the three-year skills audit project whose focus was ensuring that employees are adequately skilled to deliver on the mandate of the Regulator and that the employees’ development is prioritised. The organisation rolled out the learnership programme which I approved in the previous financial year. With this roll-out, a number of young South Africans were taken through ICT and coding training gaining an NQF level 5 qualification. The organisation continued to support graduates with the internship programme where 31 interns are actively acquiring experience in their chosen fields of study. About 50 employees benefited from the Employee Bursary programme. The organisation also hosted a series of activities during the Culture Week promoting the client centricity, ethics and performance excellence culture pillars. These activities were aimed at further entrenching a culture that is consistent with the organisation’s values. The organisation also celebrated and recognised employees who went the extra mile in performing their duties during an employees’ excellence awards

General Information I Annual Report 2022/23 I 23