Skills development a mechanism for substantive change

IN MANY respects, the revised BBBEE codes epitomise a noteworthy departure from what businesses have become accustomed too. It is, therefore, no surprise that the initial amendments generated more than 500 responses during public commentary.

Love it or hate it, the BBBEE codes are here to stay. Therefore, as businesses, we need to generate strategies that make the codes work for our organisations, and just as importantly, work to make a real difference in our country.

For some, merely securing the points they need is enough. However, increasingly South Africans are recognising that no one can afford to sit back and say, “it’s not my problem”. Inequality, poverty, unemployment and crime have a long-term impact on all of us.

Now more than ever, we need to work together to create a future that meets the collective needs of our society as a whole – rich and poor, urban and rural, educated and uneducated, black and white. And the new codes drive home the notion that the private sector has a role to play in tackling some of the deep-rooted socio-economic challenges plaguing impoverished communities.

As South Africans, we are poignantly aware that the underlying cause of economic inequality is the lack of access to quality education for the vast majority of black South Africans. Addressing this dilemma cannot be put on the back burner for 20 years until we have achieved a successful overhaul of the entire education system.

While access to quality formal education is a problem in South Africa, the lack of appropriate skills among those aged between 18 and 35 is a pressing concern. Last year, Statistics South Africa indicated that youth unemployment rose to a shocking 36.1 percent from 32.7 percent in 2008.

It is in this respect that the codes signify the start of a changing landscape regarding skills development. A greater emphasis has been placed on it relative to other instruments of transformation. This is even more evident when one analyses the decreased emphasis on management controls in the revised codes.

This shift in policy is more in line with the debate arguing for an increased emphasis on merit rather than merely populating a workforce with employees who meet employment equity standards.

Whatever side of the debate you find yourself – merit versus transformation – one has to contend that the codes, as a compliance instrument, are here to stay.

Through the compliance instrument latent in the BBBEE codes, companies commit to transferring skills to black South Africans – the group most affected by unemployment. This transfer of skills will allow the youth to access a variety of new work opportunities.

On its own, this seems to be acknowledgment on the part of the government that skills development necessitates a greater focus, as it is increasingly being seen as a mechanism for substantive change resulting in a decline in youth unemployment.

The revised codes have, therefore, increased the overall weighting of skills development from 15 to 20 points. Companies can now obtain recognition under the skills development element for contribution to the training of black people in general.

They no longer need to be employees of the organisation. Points can, therefore, be obtained by sponsoring existing accredited skills development programmes working within impoverished communities.

As an organisation which focuses on skills development being one of our core programmes, we are keenly aware of the great need for a transfer of skills to the youth.

Often, it is too late to effectively intervene with respect to the education and skills development of an individual once he has entered a specific organisation.

It is, therefore, much more appropriate to focus one’s attention on the development of individuals prior to them entering the workforce.

Businesses which initially raised concerns regarding merit and qualifications of their employees are now able to intervene at a much earlier stage in a prospective employee’s skills cycle – thus ensuring a more qualified and skilled workforce.

In doing so, businesses ensure that the supply chain of affirmative action employees into their business are always up to their standard and expectations in years to come.

Fransman is the Cape Town Regional Head of Marketing and Development of Afrika Tikkun