Preparing a Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) is essential to comply with South Africa’s Skills Development Act. The Skills Development Act – https://www.gov.za/documents/skills-development-act – aims to expand the knowledge and competencies of South Africa’s workforce. This is to improve productivity and, in doing so, creating more employment opportunities. It also strives to enhance the quality of life of employees; their work prospects; and labour mobility. As a leading provider of adult basic education and training (ABET), Triple E Training continues to help many companies comply with the Skills Development Act.
Our English literacy and numeracy training is accredited by the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education. Learn more about Umalusi and the role that it fulfils in ensuring quality adult English literacy and numeracy training in South Africa, https://www.umalusi.org.za/.
Workplace Skills Plans and skills needs
A Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) documents your skills needs and articulates the interventions that you will implement to address them. For example, you may have identified the need to implement adult basic education and training (ABET) programmes in your company. These programmes are intended to equip low skilled members of your team with basic English literacy and numeracy proficiencies. This is because basic English literacy and numeracy skills will enable your employees to perform at their best.
English literacy and numeracy are also the absolute basic proficiencies that all your employees need to continue learning in the workplace. This is so that they can add even more value to your business. Importantly, adult basic education and training (ABET) provides your low skilled employees with an opportunity to grow and develop in their careers and as individuals. Moreover, they gain a new-found respect and passion for education. This is the ultimate measure of the success of any quality adult English literacy and numeracy training. In these many ways, adult basic education and training (ABET) meets all of the objectives of the Skills Development Act. For many citizens of the country, skills development starts with adult English literacy and numeracy training.
Submission of Workplace Skills Plans
A facilitator is involved in the development and submission of your Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) to the relevant Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA). https://nationalgovernment.co.za/units/type/8/seta provides a comprehensive list of all the SETAs. A Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) is developed and submitted together with Annual Training Reports to the relevant SETA on an annual basis. These reports demonstrate the progress that you have made in terms of developing the skills of your employees against the previous year’s Workplace Skills Plan (WSP). There are four adult basic education and training (ABET) levels that your low skilled employees need to complete. How proficient your employees are in English literacy and numeracy will determine the level at which they commence their training.
They may, for example, have to first complete pre-adult basic education and training (ABET) before advancing to the first level of this English literacy and numeracy training. Other employees may be able to start their learning journey at adult basic education and training (ABET) level 3 or even level 4 because of their previous educational experience. After completing the fourth adult basic education and training (ABET) level, your employees will be functionally literate. This means that they will be able to use their workplace literacy and numeracy skills in all facets of life, including to perform their jobs. They will also be primed for further learning. For example, after completing adult basic education and training (ABET), many employees may want to complete their matric. A National Senior Certificate is equivalent to a National Qualifications Framework level 4. This is a significant leap forward from adult basic education and training (ABET) level 4, which is equivalent to a National Qualifications Framework Level 1.
Workplace Skills Plans and reports
The Annual Training Reports that you submit with your Workplace Skills Plans (WSP) also need to detail the number of educational, training and skills development programmes that you undertook during the year. Moreover, they must include attendance registers; proof of expenditure on your adult English literacy and numeracy training; and the name and details of your adult basic education and training (ABET) provider. This is in addition to the number of employees you are equipping with English literacy and numeracy skills and the level of adult basic education and training (ABET) that they are busy finalising or have already completed. Your adult basic education and training (ABET) provider will help you to compile comprehensive Annual Training Reports to support your Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs). This includes providing a detailed account of how your low skilled employees are progressing through their adult English literacy and numeracy training.
Workplace Skills Plans and SETA grants
Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs) provide companies with access to various SETA grants that are available for skills development and training. Many SETAs continue to prioritise adult basic education and training (ABET). As an example, refer to the Food & Beverages Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FoodBev SETA) for information on its approach to adult English literacy and numeracy training. This SETA promotes, facilitates and incentivises skills development in the food and beverage manufacturing Sector. https://www.foodbev.co.za/. Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs) demonstrate to the SETAs that you have identified and provided relevant training that will address skills gaps within your company. Importantly, the SETAs also want to know that you are taking a proactive approach to skills training and development. Moreover, your training and skills development initiatives need to be aligned to the overall business strategy. The SETAs also want you to take a holistic and sustainable approach to skills development. Investing in adult basic education and training (ABET) shows that all members of your team are important. This includes your low skilled employees who often perform rudimentary but very important work.
In many ways, these employees are more in need of skills development and training than other more high-ranking members of your team. In order for them to also grow and develop inside and outside the workplace, they need basic English literacy and numeracy skills. They can attain them through quality adult basic education and training (ABET) from an accredited adult English literacy and numeracy training provider. For more information on government’s stance on adult basic education and training (ABET), refer to GET Policy Document ABET PDF.
Placement Assessments and Workplace Skills Plans
Placement assessments help to inform your Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs) for low skilled employees. This is by identifying the extent of the English literacy and numeracy skills gaps in your organisation and how you are able to address this problem. Most jobs – no matter how general and mundane – require a basic understanding of English literacy and numeracy. Employees who struggle to understand the spoken and written word are prone to making mistakes that will cost you time, money and resources. Employees who do not have sound English literacy and numeracy skills are also susceptible to making accidents. These can lead to injuries, fatalities and damage to the environment. Employees also need to be active listeners and have the confidence to communicate in English with co-workers, as well as supervisors and managers. These are abilities that your employees will also acquire once they have completed adult basic education and training (ABET). Meanwhile, the numeracy skills that your employees obtain as part of their training will enable them to think logically and critically. They will also be able to solve typical problems encountered in their jobs.
Workplace Skills Plan for employees
The next step in developing a Workplace Skills Plan for your low skilled employees is to determine who exactly in your team requires urgent adult basic education and training (ABET). They then need to be placed at the correct adult basic education and training (ABET) level so that they are able to cope with the course content. In doing so, they will be able to progress through the various levels of adult English and numeracy training within a reasonable timeframe. A placement assessment also ensures that your low skilled employees are given a real opportunity to enhance and hone their English literacy and numeracy skills. This is opposed to your employees regressing because they were placed at the incorrect adult basic education and training (ABET) level as consideration was not given to their previous educational experience.
Triple E Training is a leading provider of quality adult basic education and training (ABET). Learn more about our impressive track record equipping low skilled employees with the English literacy and numeracy skills that they need to excel in the workplace. www.eee.co.za.
