Redefining skills development: From expense to strategic talent investment

Skills development - a term that often stands out as a compliance requirement rather than a strategic imperative in the corporate realm. In South Africa, skills development is a key component of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) scorecard, which mandates companies to allocate resources towards skills development initiatives to enhance the capabilities of their workforce and drive economic transformation. 

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The compliance conundrum

However, there is often a prevailing perception of skills development as a mere expense for regulatory compliance, undermining its true potential as a strategic investment. Many corporates fall into the trap of viewing skills development as a mere “checkbox exercise”, missing out on the true potential of investing in their workforce and community. Time and again,we see how compliance-driven approaches often lead to a lack of meaningful growth and development within organisations, limiting the positive and value-adding impact of skills development. 

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Our transformative approach

At Inqubeko, we challenge this conventional perception by redefining skills development as a transformative and strategic investment opportunity. Our approach goes beyond just checking scorecard boxes; it is about creating sustainable holistic value for companies, individuals, and communities. By shifting the focus from compliance to impact, we aim to unlock the untapped potential of skills development as a driver of growth and empowerment. 

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Our High School Leadership Development Programme

One of the ways we do this is through an innovative solution called the High School Leadership Development Programme. A programme that addresses the challenges often overlooked by a traditional training approach whilst addressing companies’ recruitment pipeline challenges and providing organisations with the benefits of B-BBEE compliance. Our High School Leadership Development Programme allows companies to claim under various line items of the B-BBEE scorecard, including Skills Development and Sociology Economic Development. By tapping into four fundamental pillars: life skills, leadership development, foundational and technical skills, and talent strategy, the programme holistically develops high school learners and invests in young minds to become future leaders.

Many high school learners, with the potential to become inspirational leaders in the workplace, lack mentorship and access to good quality education, especially in subjects like maths and science. This limits their future opportunities unless interventions are introduced to fix the missing building blocks in their educational foundation.

Therefore, our programme focuses on developing the learner’s STEM subjects, leadership and life skills to become  thriving, employable individuals. Our unique programme components include mentorship, life coaching, short courses,leadership development, and a strong focus on math and science proficiency.Consequently, ensuring a sustainable individual and corporate value addition.

Since Inqubeko is an accredited training provider, our programme can be structured as a skills development initiative, and contribute positively to your B-BBEE Scorecard.
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Unlocking value: The investment perspective

The High School Leadership Development Programme offers a compelling value proposition for companies as they gain an improved,more extensive pipeline of employee candidates well-positioned for success in terms of technical capability, strong values, productive habits, high emotional intelligence and clear career aspirations.

The programme develops high school learners to become eligible for future employment with the skills, grit as well as personality and career interests that are aligned with the company objectives. Therefore, the holistic development of the learners creates purpose-fit and well-rounded bursary and learnership applicants, with a human capital return on investment for companies. As a result, companies receive a reliable pool of well-rounded future employees while saving a significant number of resources in their recruitment processes and broadening their talent pipeline. Overall, this strategic recruitment approach not only enhances the company’s talent pipeline but also fosters a sense of community engagement and empowerment, creating a ripple effect of positive change.  

Empowering communities: A shared vision of growth

Beyond the corporate benefits, our programme is rooted in a commitment to community empowerment. By providing skill-building opportunities and fostering talent development within local communities, we contribute to the broader goal of inclusivity and social upliftment. Families and communities can thrive as they are led by a transformed generation of parents and leaders with strong character and values, productive habits,well-developed emotional intelligence, robust problem-solving skills, and a vision to develop and uplift their communities. Overall, we seek to create a sustainable impact that transcends organisational boundaries and paves the way for a more prosperous and equitable society. 

Transforming skills development into an investment

Through our commitment to transforming skills development spend into an investment, we have witnessed first-hand the transformative power of investing in people. 320 learners have successfully exited the programme to date, and the improvement in their maths and science results, as well as their feedback on the impact of the mentorship and life coaching sessions, have been phenomenal. 

“You are shaping a good future. Because after helping us, we are going to help the next generation, and they are going to help the following generation,and it’s just a ripple effect.” – Nadine Vadiveloo, a grade 12 learner who participated in the Toyota South Africa Motors Future of Manufacturing programme in 2022.

“I learnt how to be money wise, how to stay debt-free and how to sustain a business once I start one. [The facilitator] encouraged us to be entrepreneurs and how beneficial that could be for us.” - A grade 11 learner from Umlazi KZN who completed the Inqubeko Financial Life Skills course in 2022.

By viewing skills development as an opportunity for growth and empowerment, we not only enhance career prospects but also create a lasting legacy of positive change. Join us on this transformative journey,where skills development is not just an expense but an investment in a brighter, more prosperous future for all. 

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