March 2020

The Clothing Bank, an organisation that assists single unemployed mothers, is implementing business empowerment programme for 246 women to improve sustainability of their businesses. The SETA has allocated R 13m towards the training component of this project to assist 176 of the target of 246 women which will also incorporate a mentoring programme.

The Youth Focus project is a collaborative initiative between the W&RSETA, Western Cape Government, Retail Sector and TVET Colleges to provide learning opportunities for youth that has exited the education system and has matured beyond the point of return to the formal schooling system. The youth is assisted to continue the journey of life-long learning in order to secure decent employment. It addresses the plight of youth destined to a life of crime and poverty with that of education and employment opportunities.

The SETA is cognisant of the varying skills development needs of the Provinces and implements projects that address the specific needs.

The W&RSETA has invested R 130 million for the Eastern Cape Rural Development project which aims to assist in decreasing poverty levels in rural areas of the province. The project will foster encourage partnership between Higher Education and Training Institutions and TVET Colleges with wholesale and retail companies with an objective of increasing learning opportunities in rural areas and townships. 274 learners will be enrolled on various learning programmes to improve their chances of securing employment within the Wholesale and Retail Sector.

The objective of this project is to provide internship opportunities to 100 TVET College students studying towards qualifications that address scarce and critical skills in the W&R Sector, within various companies in the Northern Cape for a period of 18 months.
The SETA has invested R 5,4m towards this project.

As part of contributing towards and supporting youth development initiatives within the Western Cape Province, the SETA is funding the training of 15 learners on confectionery bakery artisan programme. The project supports the Provincial Government's efforts to alleviate poverty and create sustainable jobs for the youth and the SETA has allocated R 580 000 towards the project.

Subsequent to the establishment of the W&RSETA Retail Chair and the allocation of bursaries to Masters and Doctoral students, the demand for bursaries for these high level programmes has increased dramatically. This has resulted in the W&RSETA allocating funds to assist employees from wholesale and retail companies to pursue post graduate studies in research. The project will provide financial assistance to 105 qualifying individuals to further their studies to achieve a Masters or Doctoral degree.

The W&RSETA established the Wholesale and Retail Leadership Chair at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) 2012. The objective of the Retail Leadership Chair is to contribute towards research and the development of W&R qualifications from NQF 5 -10 through collaboration between the Sector, labour and institutions of higher learning. The collaboration between the key role players will ensure a pool with suitably qualified and experienced entrants for the Sector and that the skills levels of the current workforce are improved.

The W&RSETA has partnered with its stakeholder companies, the Durban University of Technology, and four Technical, Vocational Education and Training Colleges in KwaZulu Natal to establish Retail Schools of Excellence. The objective of the project, inter alia, is to ensure that institutions of learning produce suitably qualified and experienced students to meet the demands of business for the growth and prosperity of the Sector and the Country.

The objective of the Gauteng Schools of Excellence project is to support and equip four TVET colleges within the Gauteng region that will address the needs of the Wholesale and Retail Sector through education, training and skills development initiatives. The Project will address challenges identified by TVET colleges through building the necessary capacity to offer retail programmes. Additionally, the project will assist the TVET Colleges to position themselves as preferred training providers for the Wholesale and Retail Sector.

The inaugural Wholesale and Retail SETA Retail Management Development Programme (RMDP) was launched in 2012 as a response to addressing skills gaps within the current middle management complement within the Sector and create a pool of skilled middle managers. The Programme equips delegates with prerequisite skills to become effective managers. RMDP graduates will also be able to further their learning with a career path into the ILDP.

The objective of this flagship project which is in its ninth year (2017) of successful implementation is to increase the talent pipeline of highly promotable, historically disadvantaged leaders within the Wholesale and Retail Sector who have been earmarked for senior or executive positions in their companies.