W&RSETA WholeSay July 2020

WHOLESAY July 2020 Newsletter

the w&rseta condemns all forms of gender-based violence

W&RSETA responds to impact of COVID-19 in the W&R sector #Stay_Safe

Wear a mask in public, keep your hands clean, maintain social distancing of at least 2m

Message

from the Editor-in-Chief

W&RSETA responds to COVID-19......................................3 2018/19 RMDP continues during lockdown........................4 SSP stakeholder consultation sessions concluded................6 Stakeholder notice – SME DG project claims.......................7 Whole Diary.....................................................................9

Editorial Team The W&RSETA lands its support to the resounding voices of individuals, business community and civil society in condemning violence against women in our country.

We have observed, with distress, the alarming increase of

Martha Shingange – Editor-in-Chief Rhulani Mavunda – Editor Desmond Mashao – Production Coordinator

The implementation of our Retail Management Development Programme (RMDP) is in full swing despite the interruption of COVID-19. The seventh group commenced with the programme virtually on 20 July 2020. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has leapfrogged our transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. You can read up for more about the programme in this newsletter.

violent acts against women and children. We condemn these in the strongest terms and urge the community to take a stand

As we move into August, dedicated to celebrating women in

against the senseless, brutal violence and abuse of women

South Africa, it is befitting that we recognise the phenomenal

and children.

women of our sector. We are proud of the strides that women are making in retail. From the CEO of the largest conglomerate

Coming back to the events of this month, the Minister of Higher

to the shop floor workers, we salute you zimbokodo. Importantly,

Education and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, extended the

we commend the women who have and continue to be in the

submission deadline to 31 July 2020 for the 2020/2021

frontlines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. We

Annexure II documents. This allowed companies that did not

recognise the selfless contribution they are making to keep

meet the initial extended deadline of 31 May 2020 to submit

South Africa moving during these uncertain times. We wish you

their applications. The W&RSETA also opened the 2020/2021

a reflective Women’s Month as you reflect on your contribution

Discretionary Grant Funding Window to allow companies

and role in the future of our country.

that submitted the Annexure II documents by 31 May 2020 to apply for additional funding on identified initiatives. We hope that this funding will encourage companies to continue providing skills development opportunities to their employees during these challenging times.

value of the month

Quality services

2

Yours in skills development,

Martha

Manager: Marketing and Communications

We commit to the following: • Professionalism • Being orientated towards service fulfilment • Exceeding expectations

• Meticulousness • Adhering to standards • Consistency • Living the Batho Pele Principles

Happy Women’s Month: 1 – 31 August 2020 July 2020 Newsletter

W&RSETA’s initiatives to respond to the impact of COVID-19 on the Wholesale and Retail Sector As part of its strategy, Government has implemented several

Annual Performance Plan priorities

measures and initiatives to provide relief to vulnerable

• Job retention - employed staff to be re-skilled or

individuals, workers and employers as a result of the

capacitated for multi-tasking of activities to prepare

COVID-19 national lockdown. One of these measures

for possible changes to business processes

include the four-month Skills Development Levy contribution holiday for companies.

• Increase number of skills programmes to address the re-skilling / multi-skilling of staff to adapt to new business processes and COVID-19 requirements.

As a result of these circumstances, the W&RSETA has revised

• Current learners to be assisted to exit the system

its 2020/2021 Annual Performance Plan (APP) in order to

• Assist vulnerable youth to gain access to education,

prioritise skills development interventions that will position wholesale and retail companies to respond to the impact of COVID-19.

training and employment opportunities • Support vulnerable sectors of the economy (SMMEs, Informal Traders, Cooperatives and NGOs) • Implement

Reasonable

Accommodation

and

The W&RSETA has responded with agility in implementing

measures to support the sector with COVID-19

these measures and some of them include the following:

regulations, particularly PPE • Special projects – TERS for retrenchees; skills programmes for unemployed youth; training of Environmental Health Practitioner Graduates to support compliance with COVID-19 regulations

July 2020 Newsletter

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Supporting companies to comply with COVID-19 regulations

Zivikele COVID-19 Project The W&RSETA has allocated R45.2 million to implement the Zivikele COVID-19 project which aims to recruit 600 TVET and HET graduates with health-related qualifications for a 12-month workplace programme. The graduates will be placed in small, medium and large wholesale and retail companies nationwide to assist with COVID-19 screening, sanitisation and referrals to testing facilities of suspected COVID-19 cases of W&RSETA sponsored learners, staff and where possible customers. They will also be responsible to advocate personal hygiene, and social distancing in the stores.

This project, which aims to contribute to flattening the COVID-19 curve, will be implemented in partnership with the South African Local Government (SALGA) to ensure that suitable candidates are selected through its environmental and health services directorates in the municipalities. The successful candidates will receive a monthly stipend as well as Personal Protective Equipment tool kits.

Enabling online learning for bursary beneficiaries W&RSETA

provides

laptops

for

Bursary

Scheme students After the ATTI Nelspruit College was closed for a few months due to the COVID-19 national lockdown, the college reopened in June 2020 in line with the regulations that allowed for institutions of learning to reopen with a capacity of 33% of its students. As part of the W&RSETA support towards online learning, which has become a key delivery mode for learning, the SETA has provided laptops to its bursary scheme beneficiaries at the college to assist them to continue with their studies.

“A big thank you to the W&RSETA for their support to our students� said Johann Mynhardt, Centre Manager at ATTI Nelspruit College 4

July 2020 Newsletter

W&RSETA bursary beneficiaries from ATTI Nelspruit College received their laptop

The W&RSETA implements

the 2018/19 RMDP While the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the way we

Anabela Pinto, Senior Programme Manager at Henley

live, conduct business and learn, it has also catapulted us in

Business School Africa, expressed her excitement on 20 July

to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The W&RSETA’s 2018/19

2020 in welcoming the seventh group of the programme to

Retail Management Development Programme (RMDP), which

their first class. She assured the delegates that they would

commenced in July 2019, is currently being implemented

receive world-class education from the institution which has

virtually. The seventh offering of the programme will be

been ranked the best business school in Africa.

completed in September 2021 and the Gauteng group of 131 delegates has completed the programme. Another 29 delegates from cohort 6 of the RMDP started with the programme in June.

Quick facts on the W&RSETA RMDP • Established in 2012 to address skills gaps in the middle management complement in the Wholesale and Retail Sector • Launched with 200 delegates and now enrols about 400 delegates annually • More than 1700 middle managers, supervisors and team leaders have completed the programme

Tom Mkhwanazi, CEO addressing delegates

The W&RSETA CEO, Tom Mkhwanazi, officially welcomed delegates of cohorts 6 and 7 to the programme on 24 June 2020 and 20 July 2020, respectively. Mkhwanazi

Henley Business School Africa is implementing the RMDP

highlighted the SETA’s decision to offer the RMDP as a full

which, for the first time in the history of the programme,

qualification which had been delayed as the SETA had to

is being offered as a full qualification as the Advanced

meet the requirements of the Council for Higher Education

Certificate in Management Practice at NQF level 6.

and Training. He thanked the delegates for their patience and assured them that the programme was worth the wait.

The CEO addressed the impact of COVID-19 on the sector and the W&RSETA’s commitment to support companies during this time. “During the most challenging time for the world, our country and our sector, it has become even more important that we prepare our leaders to lead us through the biggest global catastrophe in over 100 years which is reshaping our economy. Our sector, like many others, is bleeding jobs. We need you to tell us how we can do things

Linda Buckley Executive Education Director at Henley Business School Africa addressing delegates on the last day of the first module for cohort 6

differently to respond to the challenges that we are facing”, said Mkhwanazi.

July 2020 Newsletter

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Delegates shared their expectations from the programme and here are some of their views:

Michelle Koeberg, Brights Warehouse

Nazli Abrahams, Smollan

“ I want to offer my team something new after my many years in retail.”

“ I am absolutely here for the qualification because I am passionate about education.”

Muhren Ekard, The Foschini Group

“ I am new in retail operations and the RMDP is the next step of my journey in retail.”

Boikanyo Mantsi, MassBuild

Louis Ntuka, Shoprite

“ I want to enhance my managerial skills and share the learning with my team to ensure that they are also equipped.”

“ I previously applied for the ILDP, but I was not accepted. The RMD will prepare me for the ILDP. The programme will also open doors for opportunities for me outside the HR space within the company. The programme will also help me to understand the business as a whole in order to better support the people I work with.”

The programme is scheduled to be completed in September 2021.

July 2020 Newsletter

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y p p Ha

s ’ n e m o W onth 1–31 Aug 2020

m

Malibongwe igama lamkahosikazi!

Ahead of the 2020 Women’s Month, the W&RSETA celebrates the important

role of women in our society. We recognise the remarkable contribution of the women in the Wholesale and Retail Sector. We salute each one of you, zimbokodo!

The W&RSETA remains committed to the development of women through our skills development programmes including learnerships, management development

programmes,

rural

development initiatives and others.

7

July 2020 Newsletter

SSP national stakeholder consultation sessions concluded On 22 July 2020, the W&RSETA concluded

The

the Sector Plan Skills (SSP) national stakeholder

all stakeholders that participated in the

consultation sessions for the 2020/21 SSP

consultations. The valuable input received

update. The sessions were conducted virtually

will inform the 2020/2021 SSP which is due

for all provinces and this month we finalise

for submission to the Department of Higher

the consultation process with stakeholders

Education and Training on 31 August 2020.

W&RSETA

extends

its

gratitude

to

in Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape provinces. The W&RSETA had an opportunity

The SETA aims to continue with engagements

to interact with stakeholders to solicit input and

on the SSP throughout the year. Stakeholders

engage on the skills needs of the Wholesale

are invited to provide input at mmaphakela@

and Retail Sector which will be included in the

wrseta.org.za

2020/2021 SSP. The key focus of these sessions was the current challenges on the sector around

Stakeholders can also continue to provide

the impact of COVID-19. The W&RSETA

inputs through sub sector group discussions

outlined its measures and key interventions

and quarterly surveys.

that are being implemented to assist the sector through this period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Wholesale

It is important for the W&RSETA to obtain

and Retail Sector are invited to participate in the

information on the impact of COVID-19 on SMEs

W&RSETA COVID-19 Economic Survey. Participants are

in the Wholesale and Retail Sector in order to

requested to complete the survey by providing input on

respond to the pandemic. However, participation

key questions related to the economic, labour market

in this study is voluntary and participants are

and challenges and skills development interventions to

allowed to withdraw at any point of the survey.

mitigate the impact of COVID-19. The survey takes approximately 7 minutes to complete

Your responses are strictly confidential and data from this research will be reported only in the

The primary objective of this survey which is linked to the

aggregate.

W&RSETA Sector Skills Plan (SSP) stakeholder engagement process is to collect data on the impact of COVID-19 on

For any questions related to the survey, please may

small businesses in the sector and also to solicit input on

contact Mxolisi Maphakela on mmaphakela@

interventions to support the affected businesses to remain

wrseta.org.za / 074 2422 683.

competitive and economically viable.

July 2020 Newsletter

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MEASURES TO ADDRESS

DELAYS IN PAYMENT OF CLAIMS FROM SME DG 19/20 PROJECT Please note that due to the national lockdown and internal challenges within the organisation, the W&RSETA has experienced delays with the payment of the SME DG 19/20 claims. Participating companies are hereby informed of the measures that have been implemented by the W&RSETA to address these challenges. Kindly note these measures as well as the requirements from participating companies in order to expedite the outstanding claims.

Click here for the notice

Whole Diary Provincial Stakeholder Forum meetings

For further details on these meetings, please contact the relevant provincial office or email wrseta@wrseta.org.za

August 2020

9

PROVINCE

DATE

North West

11 August 2020

Western Cape

28 August 2020

Eastern Cape

Port Elizabeth

19 August 2020

East London

18 August 2020

July 2020 Newsletter

Name of Province

Proposed date

Event

Midrand, Gauteng

4-5 March 2020

2020 Black Business Summit

49 Heystek Street Rustenburg 0299

You TA Tube

014 592 0483 Call Centre: 086 270 027 Web: www.wrseta.org.za