ABET training is today not a nice to have, it’s both a business and social imperative. Business in close cooperation with government has realised that a workforce conversant in even the basics of reading and writing is far more productive than an illiterate one and if South Africa is to complete in the global marketplace this workforce is going to have to become more competitive. On a social level illiteracy is one of the leading causes of crime and other anti social behavior including women and child abuse, something that is adversely affecting the social fabric of South Africa and preventing its citizens from achieving their true potential.