The BBBEE Scorecard is a points-based
measure of progress towards economic
equity and an important tool for securing
contracts. When considering which supplier
to use, customers consider price, quality and
BBBEE performance. To score higher, skills
development must be addressed. Companies
outperforming competitors in training have a
significant advantage (20% of the Score),
calculated as skills development spending.
Staying profitable means that training can’t
be neglected.
Furthermore, training has numerous
advantages that aren’t measured in terms of
BBBEE points. Many companies conduct training
merely to meet BBBEE requirements. This
constitutes wasteful spending and is a disturbing trend. It is also concerning that training often
doesn’t receive much attention in budgeting. Almost all problems in the workplace come down
to a lack of training and knowledge. For example, staff members may struggle with team cohesion
or client-facing. They may dodge complex problems and reject innovation because training
doesn’t happen. Such skills and knowledge are not in-born abilities. They have to be built through
training.
Poor performance is a chronic problem which clients detect immediately. Consistent
performance is the bread and butter of all businesses and it can’t be achieved without training.
South Africa is performing satisfactorily compared to similar countries but evidence shows we
fall seriously short in education and training. This impacts on our competitiveness domestically and internationally. To overcome this problem and remain profitable and relevant, all companies
must invest in developing their personnel.