Workplace Essentials & Personal Effectiveness
These are the everyday skills that make people effective at work, whatever their job: managing time and priorities, thinking clearly and solving problems, handling emotions and working well with others, and behaving professionally. They suit new and experienced staff, supervisors who want a stronger team, and organisations that want the same standard of conduct across departments. The foundation courses at the end of the list build the reading, writing, numeracy and computer skills that further learning depends on.
Most courses run for one day, so a team can attend without losing a week. Longer courses of 2 to 5 days go deeper. Training runs in-house at your premises, at BOTI's venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online.
Most popular
- Emotional Intelligence Training Course · 1 day. Read a room, manage your own reactions and respond well under pressure.
- Time Management Course · 1 day. Find your time management profile and weaknesses, then plan, prioritise and get more done in the working day.
- Critical Thinking Course · 2 days. Separate relevant from irrelevant information, remove bias and evaluate new information with reason and logic.
- Problem Solving and Decision Making Training Course · 1 day. Understand how you make decisions and use practical tools to solve problems and set priorities.
- Goal Setting and Getting Things Done Course · 1 day. Methods for setting goals, beating procrastination and getting the important work done first.
- Stress Management Training Course · 1 day. Recognise stress triggers and symptoms, take responsibility for your stress and use practical tools to stay composed.
Showing 1–16 of 18 results
All Workplace Essentials & Personal Effectiveness courses
Productivity, goals and personal effectiveness
- Time Management Course · 1 day. Time management profiles, planning and prioritising for goal-oriented people.
- Essential Time Management Skills · 2 days. Time-efficient work plans for a department or section, the top time wasters, and work-life balance.
- Goal Setting and Getting Things Done Course · 1 day. Goal-setting methods, 'eat the frog' and the 15-minute rule.
- Stress Management Training Course · 1 day. Five modules on understanding, owning and managing workplace stress, for a department, a shift or a whole organisation.
- Achieve personal effectiveness in business environment · 3 days. Maintain files and records, plan and organise your own work, and build working relationships.
- Employ a systematic approach to achieving objectives · 5 days. For junior managers: plan towards objectives, evaluate results and make corrections and improvements.
- Load Shedding Training · 2 days. Keep working through power cuts: alternative power, planning around schedules and keeping internet and cloud systems running.
Thinking, problem solving and decisions
- Critical Thinking Course · 2 days. Identify and evaluate information objectively.
- Problem Solving and Decision Making Training Course · 1 day. Decision-making and problem-solving tools for work and life.
- Solve problems, make decisions and implement solutions · 5 days. Define and investigate a problem, generate and implement a solution, and evaluate whether it worked.
- Innovation & Creative Thinking Training Course · 1 day. Divergent thinking, finding inspiration and a creative problem-solving process.
- Appreciative Inquiry Course · 1 day. Ask open questions, shift from 'what is wrong?' to 'what is right?' and use positive language to drive change.
Emotional intelligence and working with others
- Emotional Intelligence Training Course · 1 day. The people skills that drive performance: relating and reacting appropriately in any situation.
- Mastering Emotional Intelligence · 2 days. Self-confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem and locus of control, applied to managing yourself and your relationships.
- 10 Soft Skills You Need Course · 1 day. Ten practical skills in one day, including communication, teamwork and professionalism.
- Employee Motivation Course · 1 day. For managers and team leaders: five motivation models, SMART goals and a personal motivation toolbox.
- Delivering Constructive Criticism Course · 1 day. For supervisors and managers: when to give feedback, how to prepare, and how to deliver it so that it motivates.
- Generation Gaps Course · 1 day. Help older and younger colleagues share the same workplace productively.
- Civility In The Workplace Course · 1 day. Good manners, compromise and understanding to keep relationships with co-workers civil.
- Office Politics for Managers Course · 1 day. Deal with different personalities, set ground rules and build a culture of collaboration.
Professional conduct, career and the business environment
- Business Etiquette Training · 1 day. Business protocol, introductions and forms of address, office etiquette and a professional image.
- Developing Corporate Behavior Course · 2 days. For managers: align values, ethics, conduct and behaviour with the corporate identity.
- Behave in a professional manner in a business environment · 3 days. A broad introduction to the world of work and the conduct expected in a business environment.
- Receive and execute instructions · 1 day. Receive instructions, carry them out using the right administration tools, and present the results accurately.
- Maintain a secure working environment · 1 day. Spot and respond to faults or damage that increase the security risk to staff and customers.
- Introduce new staff to the workplace · 1 day. Help new employees settle into the workplace and their role.
- Identify and explain the core and support functions of an organization · 3 days. For junior managers: how the core and support functions of an organisation fit together.
- Demonstrate an understanding of a selected business environment · 5 days. The basic concepts of a business sector and an organisation's position in its industry.
- Interpret current affairs related to a specific business sector · 5 days. How businesses function and interact with their environment in South Africa, and how current affairs affect your sector.
- Job Search Skills Course · 1 day. Know what you want, tailor your skills to the job and prepare for a successful interview.
Foundation skills and personal finance
- Read, analyse and respond to a variety of texts · 3 days. Analyse texts for purpose and audience, and judge the effect of content, language and style on readers.
- Read/view and respond to a range of text types · 3 days. Read different kinds of texts, understand how language shapes meaning, and find and use information.
- Represent, analyse and calculate shape and motion in 2-and 3- dimensional space in different contexts · 3 days. Measure, estimate and calculate quantities, and solve problems in two- and three-dimensional situations.
- Describe, apply, analyse and calculate shape and motion in 2-and 3-dimensional space in different contexts · 3 days. Practical measurement and geometry for everyday life and the workplace.
- Use generic functions in a Graphic User Interface (GUI) environment · 3 days. Use a mouse, windows, the desktop, printing and the Help facility in a Windows-type operating system.
- Plan, monitor and control and information system in a business environment · 2 days. Plan, monitor and control an information system in an administrative environment or small business.
- Investing & Trading - Long term Training Course · 2 days. How the economy and stock markets work, asset valuation and allocation, and building an investment strategy.
- Investing & Trading - Short Term Training Course · 2 days. Day trading, technical analysis and charting, derivatives in South Africa and building a trading system.
The courses on this page are not accredited. They are delivered as professional skills programmes, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Talk to us
Tell us your team's goal and we will recommend the course. Call 011 882 8853 or email [email protected].
Accredited route
Need credits? BOTI is accredited by the QCTO to offer these occupational skills programmes. Each ends in a Final Integrated Supervised Assessment (FISA), set, run and moderated by BOTI under QCTO rules, and the QCTO issues the certificate.
- Effective Problem Solving and Decision Making (SP-250803): NQF Level 4, 8 credits, 3 contact days. Last date for enrolment: 13 August 2031.
- Team Motivator (SP-250802): NQF Level 4, 13 credits, 4 contact days. Last date for enrolment: 13 August 2031.
- Workplace Essential Skills (SP-211009): NQF Level 4, 20 credits, 5 contact days followed by 2 to 4 weeks of tasks in the workplace. Last date for enrolment: 9 March 2030.
- Workplace Preparation (SP-201201): NQF Level 2, 30 credits, 15 contact days over 6 weeks, open to anyone preparing to enter work. Last date for enrolment: 11 December 2029.
For time management, Manage time and work processes within a business environment is an accredited unit-standard short course (unit standard 14342, NQF Level 2, 4 credits, 2 days), offered under BOTI's Services SETA accreditation 12582. The last date for enrolment is shown on the course page.
See all QCTO skills programmes and every accredited programme on /qualifications/.
Guides
- Navigating dress codes in the modern workplace: workplace dress standards and professional attire.
- Top tips to prepare for psychometric tests: preparing for verbal, numerical and personality assessments.
- Workplace skills plan template and example: a free template and worked example for planning your organisation's training in the WSP and ATR.
What our clients say
“We were particularly impressed by the quality of facilitation and the practical relevance of the content presented. The programme was delivered with professionalism, clarity, and a strong emphasis on real-world application”
“The course was efficiently organized and aligned with our schedule. We were impressed by the quality of the training and the expertise of the facilitator.”
“They were very professional, and they never failed us at any point during the process. They have met our expectations with both trainings.”
Frequently asked questions
Can a one-day course make a difference?
Each one-day course focuses on a single skill, such as emotional intelligence, time management or stress, with case studies and practical tools that delegates can use the next day. Where a team needs more depth, the 2- to 5-day courses and the accredited skills programmes above go further.
Can you combine topics into one in-house programme?
Yes. For in-house groups the course is built around your team, your sector and the real situations your people face. Tell us what you want to change and we will recommend the right course or combination.
Can you train our staff at our offices, or online?
Yes. Every course can be delivered in-house at your premises anywhere in South Africa, at BOTI's venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online. Per-delegate rates fall as the group grows, so in-house is usually the most cost-effective option for a team.
Do delegates get a certificate?
Yes, a BOTI certificate of attendance. These courses are not accredited. For credits, see the QCTO skills programmes and the accredited unit standard above.