Prof Nicola Taylor Director The Centre for Work Performance, which is hosted by the CBE Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management in the School of Management, has been dormant in recent years and revitalised in July 2025. The Good Work Foundation (GWF) is a South African education non-profit working in rural communities, that (amongst other things) equips school leavers with digital, workreadiness, and life skills. The Centre facilitated an opportunity for the Industrial Psychology Master’s students to consult the GWF on an organisational development and consulting project. The students were divided into groups, and each group consulted with the GWF on a business problem faced at each of their campuses. The students were required to spend a day consulting with people in the GWF to understand the problem, to analyse the information they collected, and write a proposal recommending solutions to the business problem. Some of the recommendations will be implemented at the GWF. In July 2025, Prof Taylor presented a master tutorial at the annual Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa (SIOPSA) conference entitled “Equity in technology-based assessment”, and at the Annual Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA), she participated in a symposium on psychological assessment in collaboration with researchers from the University CENTRE FOR WORK PERFORMANCE School of Management of the Western Cape (Prof Erica Munnik), University of the Witwatersrand (Prof Sumaya Laher), JVR Psychometrics (Dr Pakeezah Rajab) and Assessment Standards South Africa (Dr Marié de Beer). Prof Taylor was elected incoming President for SIOPSA in July 2025, underscoring the incredible influence that UJ and its alumni have in contributing to the industrial psychology profession. In November, a research partnership agreement was signed between the Centre and the Good Work Foundation, where the Foundation will provide the Centre with data to analyse and publish in collaboration with the Foundation. This partnership provides opportunities for students to work on data related to psychological wellbeing and other similar constructions in rural tertiary education settings. Similarly, the Centre initiated discussions regarding a research collaboration with JOBJACK, an entrylevel recruitment platform that aims to streamline the job application process and reduce barriers to employment for entry-level job seekers. The priority UN SDGs focused on include (1) Good health and wellbeing, (2) Quality education, (3) Decent work and economic growth, and (4) Reduced inequalities. In 2026, the Centre will move from conceptualisation to delivery. We look forward to relaunching the Centre with an updated Charter. The focus will shift slightly from creating research partnerships to delivering on research commitments. We will be bringing administrative and research capacity into the Centre to be able to deliver on the strategic goals, especially applying for funding opportunities and marketing our consulting services and community programmes. The Centre’s visibility will be elevated at national and international forums to enhance impactful and relevant reach projects. 65 College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2025
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