INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The International Leadership Development Programme (ILDP) is the W&RSETA’s response to the transformation of the Wholesale and Retail Sector. Launched in 2009, the ILDP was strategically designed to support the sector to anticipate and navigate market changes and their impact on the economy. The ILDP equips senior management with strategic leadership skills by exposing them to cutting-edge retail practices locally and internationally to develop a competitive local retail sector.
The programme targets high potential individuals who have been earmarked for senior or executive positions to accelerate their development through crafted immersions and interaction with global thought leaders. Senior executives who have benefitted from the programme are making remarkable strides in advancing the Wholesale and Retail Sector.
The ILDP alumni has reached over 500 leaders since its inception. The alumni continue to make significant strides in advancing the sector, showcasing the programme’s enduring impact on leadership development within the industry.
Currently, 60 delegates have are participating on the 2022/23 ILDP which is being delivered by the University of Pretoria’s business school, Gordon Institute for Business Science. A further 60 cohort has been registered for the 2024/25 ILDP with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business which incorporates an executive programme to ensure implementation of the recommendations from the research projects.
RETAIL MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The Retail Management Development Programme (RMDP) which was launched in 2012 as a response to the skills gaps within the current middle management complement and create a pool of skilled middle managers as identified in the W&RSETA’s Sector Skills Plan. The programme equips delegates with prerequisite skills to become effective managers and prepares graduates to further their learning with a career path into the ILDP.
To date, the RMDP has been instrumental in developing over 2000 middle managers, supervisors and team leaders.
The 2023/24 RMDP has registered a total of 320 delegates with the Johannesburg Business School (University of Johannesburg), Regent Business School, Gordon Institute of Business Science, Regenesys Business School and the University of Cape Town Graduate Business School.
W&RSETA RESEARCH AGENDA
The W&RSETA Research Agenda enables the SETA to conduct research on various topical issues critical to update the SSP, provide in-depth insights on the sector to inform the SETA’s strategy design and implementation through its Annual Performance Plans. The Research Agenda addresses the main challenge of limited labour market research and trend analysis to inform the sector growth and development. It further contributes towards improving the labour market data that is used in the development of the Sector Skills Plan, development of specific skills interventions that are responsive to sector demands and professionalisation of the sector.
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL LEADERSHIP CHAIRS
Since the conceptualisation of this initiative in 2012, the W&RSETA has established four Wholesale and Retail Leadership Chairs at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Durban University of Technology University of Johannesburg, and Central University of Technology. The objective of the Retail Leadership Chairs is to professionalise the sector through research and the development of qualifications from NQF 5 -10 in collaboration with the sector, labour, and institutions of higher learning. The collaboration between the key role players will ensure a pool of suitably qualified and experienced entrants for the sector and improve skills levels of the current workforce. The Retail Chair at Cape Peninsula University of Technology was the first of its kind in Africa when it was launched in 2012.
BURSARY SCHEME
To address the skills shortages identified in the Sector Skills Plan, the W&RSETA established a Bursary Scheme in 2011 to provide financial assistance to disadvantaged students to study wholesale and retail qualifications at public and private universities, universities of technology and TVET colleges. The Bursary Scheme creates a pool of potential employees with scarce and critical skills, thus narrowing the gap between skills supply and demand in the sector. It further promotes and positions wholesale and retail as a career of choice. The scheme is administered by institutions of learning, and students must apply at the institution where they are accepted or registered to study.
GRADUATE PLACEMENT AND INTERNSHIP PROJECT
The W&RSETA is cognisant of the plight of unemployed graduates which is attributed to the skills mismatch of the graduates and the needs of industry. To this end, the W&RSETA, supported by the Wholesale and Retail Sector, offers students work experience to prepare them for the world of work.
W&RSETA OPENS DOORS OF LEARNING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
Through its infrastructure support interventions, the W&RSETA contributes to government's goal of producing 30 000 artisans annually by 2030. It remains the SETA's priority to contribute to artisan development in South Africa and increase access to education and training opportunities. Some of the SETA’s infrastructure projects include the following:
SEKHUKHUNE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
The W&RSETA in partnership with Sekhukhune TVET College has constructed the SETA’s first skills development centre in Groblersdal, Limpopo. The R146 million centre will benefit the community of Greater Sekhukhune and will produce artisans in different sectors including wholesale and retail. The centre was launched in May 2024.
FREE STATE SKILLS CENTRE
In the Free State, the W&RSETA is constructing a skills development centre in Reitz at a budget of R60 million. Young people will be trained on various skills to prepare them for work and to create their own employment opportunities as a contribution to reduce unemployment in the province.
COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTRES (CETS)
The W&RSETA has invested R58 million to support the 9 Community Education and Training colleges, which comprises of R50 million to establish 54 ICT laboratories and R8 million towards infrastructure and equipment. 20 ICT labs are completed in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State, North West, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape.
ALTERNATIVELY ENERGY SOLAR PROJECT
In order to ensure that the TVET and CET colleges are interrupted by loadshadding, the W&RSETA has invested R125 million to support the colleges with alternative energy solution infrastructure.
SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The development of Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) is one of the W&RSETA’s main priorities which aims to position SMMEs to grow their businesses and enable them to compete with established retailers and foreign owned businesses.
SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE (SME) DISCRETIONARY GRANT
Through the SME Discretionary Grant, the W&RSETA provides funding for small and medium levy-paying companies to benefit from skills development interventions that address their unique needs, and to increase the pool of SMEs participating in the W&RSETA programmes. The W&RSETA provides skills development grants up to R9500 to 3500 levy-paying companies through the SME Discretionary Grant annually.
INFORMAL TRADERS AND MICRO ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT (ITAMED) PROGRAMME
The ITAMED programme aims to address the challenges faced by local informal traders and micro enterprises in competing for market share in township and rural areas. The programme assists informal traders and micro enterprises to position their businesses to compete with big retailers that are entering the township market as well as foreign traders. Annually, the W&RSETA supports 2700 informal traders with business management skills including marketing, financial management, customer service and entrepreneurship. In addition, the W&RSETA provides the participants with a small business grant.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The W&RSETA supports government’s efforts to reduce youth unemployment in South Africa through entrepreneurship. With the introduction of the National Skills Development Plan in 2020 which prioritises entrepreneurship, the W&RSETA has accelerated its efforts to assist young people grow their businesses. Through the Entrepreneurship Development Programme, the W&RSETA supports 300 young people annually in the three-month programme incorporates skills programmes, as well as mentorship and coaching. On completion, the W&RSETA provides a R15 000 grant to the learners to invest in their businesses.
INFORMAL TRADERS EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
In an effort to continue to provide support to the growth of the SMME sector, the W&RSETA partnered with Kenyan Zetech University to implement a business development and capacitation programme for informal traders. This innovative partnership aimed to uplift 120 informal traders by exposing them to the informal trade of one of the most vibrant and booming cities in Africa, Nairobi.
The informal traders were exposed to informal businesses, comprising visits to selected businesses for practical experiential learning in the areas of business automation, innovation, and marketing. The immersion was followed by a six-month mentorship programme. Key successes from the programme include business formalisation, expansion, collaboration among the traders and securing funding from other agencies to grow their businesses.
W&RSETA/THE CLOTHING BANK PROGRAMME
The W&RSETA's partnership with non-profit organisation Taking Care of Business (TCB) to empower disadvantaged women was inspired by the growing need for the empowerment of women to participate in South Africa's economy as well as prevent gender-based violence. Since 2013, the W&RSETA has been collaborating with TCB to deliver a programme aimed at empowering disadvantaged women to be able to stand and work for themselves. The Clothing Bank has partnered with some local clothing retailers who donate excess clothes and appliances to its Development Programme to create self-employment and empower women on how to run their small businesses.
Over 1000 women have benefited from the programme and are currently running successful companies.
THE SMALL-SCALE FARMERS MARKET ACCESS PROJECT
The W&RSETA, in collaboration with Boxer Superstores contributed to the first-of-its-kind Small-Scale Farmers Market Access project in the Eastern Cape. The group of farmers comprising mostly youth and women completed an accredited training programme on requirements to access shelf space of the giant retailer. The R6.3 million project has benefited 272 farmers, of whom 110 are supplying their fresh produce to Boxer Superstores and Choppies. The project is part of the W&RSETA’s objective of developing economically viable rural communities aiming to empower small-scale farmers to become profitable and enable access into retail shelves.