Message from the Editor-in-Chief NEW FINANCIAL YEAR, NEW GOALS
In this issue...
We have completed the first month of the 2021/22 financial Year which is the second amidst the COVID -19 pandemic. It has not been an easy year but we remain optimistic that the situation is getting better On the skills development front, on 30 April, applications for the 2021/2022 Mandatory Grant applications closed. We would like to thank all companies that met the deadline and submitted their Annexure II documents. This process allows companies, not only to claim grants but, importantly, to contribute to improving the skills of the wholesale and retail workforce. We look forward to the participation of all our companies in the various programmes that they have committed to implement as well as the Discretionary Grant projects that the W&RSETA will implement this year. On top of our list this financial year are the following priorities: ● Priority Skills Plan focusing on economic growth and job creation, digital economy and partnerships for entrepreneurial interventions;
Mpumalanga young informal traders graduate
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DUT breakfast engagement
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Advocacy campaigns
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Success story
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Editorial Team
Martha Shingange – Editor-in-Chief Rhulani Mavunda - Editor Desmond Mashao – Production Coordinator These priorities are in line with our Strategic Plan that was presented and endorsed by stakeholders at the 2020 Annual General Meeting. In this month’s edition we provide highlights from the DUT stakeholder engagement breakfast that was convened on 8 April 2021, a certification celebration of young informal entrepreneurs who completed skills programmes from the New Venture Creation qualification, as well as our advocacy campaigns. We appreciate your contribution of stories that can be featured in this newsletter and encourage you to keep sending them so that we can profile the successes of our stakeholders in making skills development a reality. Until next month, enjoy the read. Yours in skills development,
Martha
Manager: Marketing & Communications
● SMME and co-operative development; ● Youth unemployment; ● Hard-to-fill vacancies and skills gaps; ● Stakeholder engagement; ● Training and employment of people with disabilities; and ● Sector transformation
VALUE OF THE MONTH 2
April 2021 Newsletter
Agility ●
We are responsive to the ever-changing needs and trends of industry
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We are demand-driven
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We work with foresight
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We strive to be proactive through leadership
Three hundred young entrepreneurs trained to improve and grow their businesses In order to close business skills gaps of informal small businesses, resolve the unemployment crisis and specifically for a group of selected learners, the W&RSETA invested R3,6 million to train 300 young entrepreneurs from rural communities in the Mpumalanga province. The young people are running informal businesses that have now been formalised through registration with CIPS and SARS, and were assisted to open business accounts. The programme was implemented in partnership with Buhle Bakhe Holding and training was conducted by Somandla Entrepreneurs Academy. The entrepreneurs were trained on skills programmes under the New Venture Creation Learnership.
Somandla Nyambi giving a report on the project
W&RSETA’s Mike Mokgomo provided an overview of the project and the purpose of the event The young people are running informal businesses that have now been formalised through registration with CIPS and SARS, and were assisted to open business accounts. The programme was implemented in partnership with Buhle Bakhe Holding and training was conducted by Somandla Entrepreneurs Academy. The entrepreneurs were trained on skills programmes under the New Venture Creation Learnership.
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April 2021 Newsletter
A certification ceremony to celebrate the successful completion of the project was held on 28 April 2021 at Kasibhejane Block B Community Hall in Tonga, Mpumalanga. Here Project Manager, Somandla Nyambi of Somandla Entrepreneurship Academy thanked the learners for persevering and staying the course to make the project a great success. He said the funding and support provided by the W&RSETA was hugely appreciated and important in giving the young people this opportunity that they would not have had. Nyambi also reported that the academy would continue to support the young entrepreneurs for the next three years to ensure sustainability of the project. At this stage, discussions are underway with private companies to secure support to the beneficiaries including grant funding, bulk buying, infrastructure, among other component. This includes a commitment by Old Mutual to provide R50 000 in grants to 20 of the entrepreneurs.
Tom Mkhwanazi addressing the beneficiaries W&RSETA CEO, Tom Mkhwanazi reiterated that this was one of the projects prioritised due to the impact of COVID-19 and that the W&RSETA remains committed to the development of young entrepreneurs. According to Mkhwanazi, township economy is important for ease of accessing services to the communities as we continue to recognise opportunities that have been heightened by COVID-19 and work together to create employment opportunities for others. W&RSETA CEO, Tom Mkhwanazi reiterated that this was one of the projects prioritised due to the impact of COVID-19 and that the W&RSETA remains committed to the development of young entrepreneurs. According to Mkhwanazi, township economy is important for ease of accessing services to the communities as we continue to recognise opportunities that have been heightened by COVID-19 and work together to create employment opportunities for others. Beneficiary representatives thanked the W&RSETA for this incredible opportunity and being trusted with the funding to complete the programme. Nokubonga’s words were, “We have never seen this kind of development in Nkomazi. Thank you so much for your time, effort and resources. We are now entrepreneurs; we are our own bosses. You will see a difference when you come back this side. I’m a better entrepreneur through a better understanding of customer service and financial management.”
Well done to all who participated in this programme, the benefits of which are immeasurable and will positively affect the lives of many deserving people, especially the youth.
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Collaborating to transform the education and training system DUT breakfast engagement
The Wholesale and Retail Leadership Chair at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in collaboration with the DUT’s Co-operative Education Faculty hosted a virtual stakeholder engagement breakfast on 8 April 2021. The engagement was aimed at discussing collaboration efforts between institutions of learning, SETAs and business in the context of education and training.
Prof. Godfrey Netswera, Executive Dean of Management Sciences at DUT welcomed the stakeholders and outlined the purpose of the session.He said: “The intention of this engagement is to have mutually beneficial discussions relating to articulation of TVET colleges to DUT, the issue of curriculum being responsive to the needs of industry, capacity development of TVET colleges and DUT, ensuring sustainability of collaboration programmes. These engagements should result in an MoU to address these issues.” Prof. Moyo highlighted the work of the university in collaborating with TVET colleges, the role of the W&RSETA’s Retail Leadership Chair to facilitate articulation through WIL.
ZOOM Virtual invitation Speakers included Prof. Sibusiso Moyo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Research, Innovation and Engagement at DUT, Sanele Mlotshwa, the Chairperson of South African Public Colleges Organisation and the W&RSETA’s Chief Executive Officer, Tom Mkhwanazi among others.
DHET’s KZN Head of TVETs’s meesage was conveyed by Nhlanhla Dimba, the Principal of Mthashana TVET College The Head of DHET: TVET Colleges in KZN Dr Sipho Nzimande conveyed a message of support emphasising the need for a close relationship between the world of work and world of training in which there was currently a huge gap. Dr Nzimande further said, “The W&RSETA has managed to close this gap in KZN through the Advisory Committee which resulted in the KZN Retail Schools of Excellence project. There is a need to understand the needs and challenges of TVET colleges such as curriculum change, perception of the TVET sector as a second option, mismatch between training at the colleges and the requirements of industries, experiential exposure of lecturers.”
Welcome address by Prof. Netswera
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W&RSETA CEO, Tom Mkhwanazi commended DUT for its leadership in forging collaboration between the sector and institutions of learning. He further highlighted the SETA’s collaborative programmes on research and innovation including the Wholesale and Retail Leadership Chairs at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, DUT and University of Johannesburg.
Representing industry, the Chairman of the W&R Wholesale and Retail Leadership Chair Board, Bruce Ferguson
Speaking on the collaborative programmes of the W&RSETA with institutions of learning, Tom Mkhwanazi
Bruce Ferguson reaffirmed the industry’s commitment to assist the university in its endeavours to improve skills. He highlighted key priorities being digital transformation and producing employable graduates. Ferguson went on to implore the stakeholders to solidify relationship between industry, institutions and SETAs beyond discussions. He also invited the stakeholders to engage industry experts in curriculum design and delivery; a role that they were prepared to undertake. The resounding message from speakers and deliberations that was agreed on as a way forward was an actionable MoU between universities, TVETCs and SETAs to address articulation to which all stakeholders can commit to implementing.
Sanele Mlotshwa, Chairperson of the South African Public Colleges Organisation
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April 2021 Newsletter
Advocacy - 2021 SEDA Entrepreneurship Day The W&RSETA participated in the 2021 Entrepreneurship Day hosted by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) on 29 April 2021. This participation was in line with the W&RSETA’s efforts to create awareness on the Skills Development System as well as its programme offerings.
W&RSETA’s Marketing & Communications Manager, Martha Shingange joined the panel discussion on education
Considered a huge success by fostering intercommunication between institutions and the entrepreneurs themselves, events of this nature go a long way in assisting small businesses grow from strength to strength.
This annual event highlights the importance o f entrepreneurship in South Africa while focusing on challenges and solutions to ensure a thriving entrepreneurship environment. The 2021 Entrepreneurship Day provided the W&RSETA an opportunity to share the programmes that we are implementing to support small businesses with budding entrepreneurs. The hybrid event took place in Midrand and was broadcast virtually across various platforms. Discussions focused on education, inclusion, ecosystems and policy. Inclusion concentrated on getting women, youth, informal traders and people from rural communities to participate in the economy. Institutions that participated in the discussions included the National Youth Development Agency, Small Enterprise Finance Agency, UNISA, Tshwane University of Technology and Black Umbrellas, among others.
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Success story International Leadership Development Programme
The International Leadership Development Programme (ILDP) is one of the W&RSETA’s proudest legacies. The programme was conceptualised to accelerate the professional and personal development of previously disadvantaged groups within the
sector to enable them to ascend higher leadership roles in their companies. Part of the objectives of the ILDP was to redress gender and racial equity in leadership positions in the sector.
Kgomotso Mosiane is one of the successes from the programme and here is her story. 2019 ILDP delegate, Kgomotso returned to work with great enthusiasm to implement all the new knowledge she had acquired from the programme. Soon after, she was recognised by the company for her visionary leadership and was promoted to the position of Brand Manager: Estee Lauder. Kgomotso joined Estee Lauder in 2011 and has had an incredible career journey with the company. Prior to her recent promotion, Kgomotso was the Business Development Manager for MAC Cosmetics. Her company describes her as an innovative, creative, strategic, forward thinking brand leader. Estee Lauder’s leadership team commends her contribution to key initiatives to support the company’s transformation journey.
Kgomotso Mosiane Estee Lauder
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April 2021 Newsletter
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