The importance of workplace learning cannot be underestimated in modern times. It is a sad fact that the skilled workforce in South Africa is being depleted as those who are trained, qualified and experienced are leaving the working world in one way or another faster than they are being replaced. This shortage of skilled staff is one of the key reasons behind the importance of skills development in South Africa.
Why you should get involved in skills development
In order to move forward and provide optimal products and services, skilled employees are a necessity. Another imperative besides skilled employees in South Africa today, is to be compliant with Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) requirements. By remaining compliant you ensure that your workforce remains empowered as well as helping to uplift socially and economically marginalised citizens of the country.
How involvement in skills development aids compliance
A major component for tracking and recognising B-BBEE compliance is the BEE scorecard. By making use of SETA accredited courses businesses are able to reach maximum skills development points on the scorecard if they spend the required three or six per cent of their annual payroll. However, this amount must be spent on SETA-accredited initiatives and courses through companies accredited as skills development facilitators and for skills development facilitation.
On top of gaining the maximum skills development points on your BEE scorecard, your company can also meet the requirements of the Skills Development Act. According to the B-BBEE Code’s Learning Programme Matrix the areas where skills development is possible are:
- Learnerships
- Apprenticeships
- Work-integrated learning
- Bursaries
- Internships
Benefit further from payingSkills Development Levies (SDLs)
SDLs stands for Skills Development Levies. These levies are payable by employers in the different economic sectors and serve to help fund learning and skills development programmes meant to empower socially and economically marginalised citizens in South Africa. The upside of this for businesses is that by paying these levies you gain access to skills development grants and substantial tax allowances (when implementing learnerships in your company).
The necessity of a skills development facilitator
Although it is possible to gain a wealth of points towards your B-BBEE level, make a difference to the country and also reap highly beneficial rewards for your business, being unaware of the regulations, incentives and claiming processes means that you are going to lose out. And many businesses are losing out because of exactly this lack of knowledge.
That is why it is important to make use of the services of an experienced, knowledgeable skills development facilitatorsand skills development facilitation with the aid professionals like SERR Synergy. With years of experience in remaining up to date on the latest laws and regulations around B-BBEE and compliance, there is no better way to make sure that you give both your business and the country a leg up in these uncertain times.