Ownership

The Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) was established in 1997 as a department in the South African Medical Association (SAMA). In 2000, FPD was registered as a separate legal entity (Registration Number: 2000/002641/07). The South African Medical Association, a non-profit company, has a 90% shareholding, while the remainder of the shares are employee-owned.

Vision

The vision of the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) is to build a better society through education and capacity development.

Mission Statement

FPD’s mission is to catalyse social change through developing people, strengthening systems and providing innovative solutions.

Values

All of FPD’s activities are based on, and flow from, the following core values that were developed by FPD staff through a consultative process. All of FPD’s activities are dedicated to serving the best interest of society. FPD’s focus is underpinned by a strong sense of social responsibility.

Innovation

FPD strives to be an innovator in society by challenging the status quo and by actively identifying opportunities to effect positive change with a view of building a better society. This is achieved by aggressively embracing growth opportunities and committing ourselves to producing leadership.

Integrity

FPD and its staff adhere to moral and ethical principles in all their activities. This is reflected in honest and professional conduct, personal accountability and a commitment to not abuse the resources of the organisation or its sponsors. Most of all, FPD will not compromise its institutional principles for the sake of political expedience.

Quality

FPD strives to guarantee the excellence of all its products and services. All such services are designed to meet the current needs of its clients. Underlying this commitment to quality is a continuous drive to achieve excellence and develop the systems to reward such achievements.

Freedom to challenge

FPD encourages an environment where staff can voice their opinion without fear of victimisation. Constructive critique and creative debate between stakeholders and staff are encouraged.

Respect

Consideration for the rights of individuals and groups is integral to FPD as an organisation. FPD honors the personal beliefs of its clients, its staff and its service beneficiaries.

Service to society

All of FPD’s activities are dedicated to serving the best interest of society. FPD’s focus is underpinned by a strong sense of social responsibility.

Focus Areas

FPD prides itself on being one of the few private higher educational institutions that fully engages in the three scholarships of higher education, namely: teaching and learning, research and community engagement. These areas of academic scholarship provide the three focus areas of our work:

Developing people

FPD provides a comprehensive curriculum of courses in management and professional skills development that are customised to the needs of students in sectors such as: management, health and education. Educational products are presented through formal qualifications, postgraduate qualifications, short courses, in-house courses and conferences. We manage and maintain a strict balance between the interrelated nature of teaching, research and community engagement and, therefore we pride ourselves on being a Private Higher Education Institution (PHEI) that fully engages in all these three areas. Whilst we are a self-funded organisation, we also engage with donors to provide students with scholarships for training in scarce skills and high priority areas.

Innovation

FPD’s research priorities focus on promoting operational research and research on educational practice. FPD encourages and uses action research as a methodology for professional development and transformational practice.

Strengthening systems

FPD does not follow the narrower definition of community engagement that is solely focused on the role of students in the community. We believe that as an institution that attracts highly skilled social entrepreneurs, we are in a position to effect positive transformation in society. The work we do, in supporting NGOs, working with the public sector on health and education systems strengthening, gender-based violence and learnerships speaks to this commitment.

FPD is based on a virtual business model that places a high premium on strategic alliances with national and international organisations to increase the scope and reach of our programmes.

Affiliations

  • FPD is an institutional member of the South African Institute of Healthcare Managers (SAIHCM)
  • FPD is a member of the Swiss South African Chamber of Commerce
  • FPD is a member of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health

The FPD Group

Foundation for Professional Development (Pty) Ltd
(Reg. No. 2000/002641/07)

FPD Property (Pty) Ltd
(Reg. No. 2005/014826/07)

Health Science Academy (Pty) Ltd
(Reg. No. 1994/006219/07)

Brighter Futures Tuition (Pty) Ltd
(Reg. No. 2014/235180/07)

Professional Provider Organisation Services (Pty) Ltd
(Reg No. 2015/070045/07)

Maurice Kerrigan Africa (Pty)Ltd
(Reg No. 2008/025706/07)

Skills Panda (Pty)Ltd
2018/261398/07

Academic Cluster

Business School

This school offers a wide range of management courses, including formal qualifications, short courses and in-house training programmes. The Business School has longstanding relationships with international academic partners such as Yale School of Public Health and Manchester Business School.

School of Education

The School of Education strives to enhance the professional development of educators across the educational spectrum. From early childhood care and education to postgraduate studies the FPD School of Education offers a wide range of educational courses that incorporates technology enhanced learning and leadership. Qualifications and courses designed to meet the need to educators within the basic and higher education environment are offered as e-learning, blended learning and/or workshops.

School of Health Sciences

The FPD School of Health Sciences prides itself in being the leader in training healthcare professionals for many years. The portfolio of Health Sciences courses includes a wide range of clinical courses, including formal qualifications and short courses and is specifically designed to enhance the clinical skills of healthcare professionals. Most of our courses are accredited for CEU points by the Health Professions Council of South Africa. FPD is also an institutional member of the South African Institute of Healthcare and a member of the SAMA Group.

Nursing School

To address the challenges faced in nursing in South Africa, the FPD School of Nursing will offer the SANC accredited three-year Nursing Diploma and the four-year bachelor’s degree in Nursing and Midwifery. FPD is in the process of developing postgraduate courses for nurses. FPD also offer a range of short courses where nurses can obtain CPD points. The aim of the school is to ensure nurses meet the dynamic health needs of the South African community through developing clinical knowledge and practical skills. Through innovation, sound educational principles and evidence-based practice, FPD School of Nursing aims to positively impact the health environment of South Africa. The School is committed to ensure that the standard of nursing education and practice for nurses and midwives will result in knowledgeable, competent, safe and ethical nursing care.

School of Information Technology

The School of Information Technology has been established in partnership with the Foundation for Sustainable Innovation (FSI), a member of the FPD Group IT affiliate companies and is a certified Microsoft Training Academy that offers a wide range of Microsoft certified information technology courses.

School of Natural Sciences

The School of Natural Sciences is a newly established school and will offer short learning programmes in the various disciplines of the natural sciences.

School of Public Health

The School of Public Health is a newly established school offering and offers short learning programmes in the various disciplines of Public Health.

Office of the Registrar

The Office of the Registrar is a highly organised efficient team that provides quality, timely and courteous service to our stakeholders in academic success namely: our students, faculty, staff, alumni and the educational community. As we maintain student academic records and uphold academic policies, we strive to assist our customers in achieving their goals, thus making us an asset to those we serve.

FPD Academic Code of Conduct

FPD endorses the principles of non-racialism, non-sexism and non-discrimination. It believes that education should be accessible, affordable and relevant to the country or centre in which it occurs. FPD students are expected to treat fellow students, faculty and administrative staff with dignity and respect. As FPD offers quality educational products, it believes that its students should act with integrity and honesty when participating in and completing programmes. By registering for any FPD programme, a student subscribes to this Code of Conduct.

For more information on FPD, please visit our website www.foundation.co.za

International Educational Partnerships

Yale

FPD and Yale offer a jointly certified international management short course aimed at public sector managers.

Alliance Manchester Business School

AMBS invests in today’s management the ideas and experience that will equip its graduates (since 1998) in offering an international management short course for health managers in South Africa.