The Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA) is a public entity which was established in March 2000 in terms of the Skills Development Act of 1998 (as amended), to address skills development within the Wholesale and Retail Sector through the implementation of learnerships, disbursement of grants and monitoring of education and training.
The sector plays a critical role in the South African economy, contributing about 13.3% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 19% of the total active workforce in the country.
I was honoured to have a chat with the Acting CEO Mr. Andile Sipengane last week Wednesday, in their offices in Centurion at the Hennops House, to discuss the work of the W&RSETA and their upcoming Good Practice Awards (GPA).
Acting CEO, Mr. Andile Sipengane in his offices in Hennops House, Centurion
Though a nervous start, the warm reception from its staff and the friendly demeanor of Mr. Sipengane was one I will never forget. I felt truly welcomed and was immediately at ease to get on with the business of the day.
We delved into a number of issues concerning the organization, covering mainly its mandate, challenges, funding and what to expect at the GPA Awards night in Johannesburg.
The W&RSETA Mandate
In the first few minutes of the interview, Mr. Sipengane elaborated on the mandate of the W&RSETA on a roundtable situated right next to his desk. The organization has been established mainly for skills development; providing training through its accredited partners, identifying critical skills shortage within the sector, facilitating sector skills planning and development, collaborating with TVET/Universities and providing career guidance at the basic level of the educational system.
Focus on Unemployment
He further explained that though skills development is primary to their mandate, their focus and objective is also on unemployment, a problem that has plagued the South African society for far too long. The W&RSETA provides support to many big businesses, however Mr. Sipengane made it very clear that his passion lies with small businesses and rightfully so.
Small businesses are the engine of growth for all developing countries; they provide employment to most of their citizens. Many small businesses benefit from Skills Development Programs organized by the W&RSETA, he keenly emphasized. The W&RSETA also provides support to NGOs and Co-operatives.
Challenges
The main challenge faced by the W&RSETA is one of participation. The struggle has always been to increase participation among its members. This particular challenge is directly linked to the issue of funding.
Mr. Sipengane explained that levy-paying members contribute only 1% of their payroll (which should be R500,000 and above) to the W&RSETA. Unfortunately, most of their members are registered small levy-paying/small non-paying organizations. He backed this up with this staggering piece of statistic; the representation of this group is about 87%. In other words, most of their members contribute very little or nothing at all.
The Good Practice Awards
The Wholesale and Retail Sector Good Practice Awards (GPA) was first held in May 2014 and was aimed at recognising and rewarding best practice in the Wholesale and Retail Sector. The Awards is strategically placed to help address the challenge faced by the organization.
Mr. Sipengane re-iterated that while the Awards seek to encourage excellence and innovation in the sector, there is the added benefit of creating awareness about the organization and its work. This will in turn encourage participation from the business community, he added.
The awards ceremony is expected to be “a form of a glittering red carpet gala dinner event to create a lasting and prestigious memory, particularly for the nominees and winners”. This part got me really excited so much that it drew some laughter from Mr. Sipengane. When asked if there would be some celebrities and musicians on the night, he said yes but preferred to keep me in suspense 🙂
It is going to be a “wow event showcasing excellence”. It’s a celebration of excellence, he exclaimed.
The event is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg on the 28th of June 2016. Nominations are open till 29 April 2016 and applications will be evaluated by Awakening Excellence, a performance expert company.
There is an expected guest list of 250, which will include Minister/Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, W&RSETA board and management, constituent organizations, stakeholders, nominees, government and other SETA CEOs.
For companies, the criteria for nomination includes the following:
• Business strategy and continuity
• Contribution to learning and development
• Leadership and development of future leaders
• Achievements
• Innovation and continuous improvement
• Corporate Social Responsibility
The company that comes up on top will have a prize package of R100,000. The second and third prizes are pegged at R75,000 and R50,000 respectively.
These prizes can go a long way for a young entrepreneur like me. It will be a dream come true. I can readily think of some really important aspects of my business I can improve with a R100,000 cash prize. It is definitely my aspiration to be recognized for my contribution.
Companies will also have the chance to indicate a preferred prize instead of case, such as contribution towards a CSI initiative.
Transformation
With a special emphasis on transformation, Mr. Sipengane stated that women in leadership, people with disabilities and the youth will be recognized for their contribution. This will include people who have made significant impact within the sector in terms of innovation and community involvement.
For more information on the W&RSETA and the GPA, use the following:
Tel: 012 622 9500
Web: www.wrseta.org.za