Cell C has been awarded accreditation by ISETT SETA to train more than 25 000 staff members and external delegates in courses that range from soft skills to retail sales.
The mobile carrier is the first to get this accreditation and is also endorsed by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).
"Cell C is the first accredited training provider in the telecommunications sector, with all its training departments now qualified to award credits to its internal and external staff and delegates who complete accredited training courses," explains Cell C executive head of sales and distribution Sue Kennedy.
Kennedy says the courses are linked to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and registered with ISETT SETA and SAQA.
"They may be only NQF 3 and 4 courses, yet they are a foot in the door for those who want to get into the industry," says ISETT SETA CEO Oupa Mopaki.
Mopaki says ISETT SETA received Cell C's application for accreditation a year ago and awarded it accreditation early this year.
Kennedy says Cell C has been conducting training for the past five years, yet saw it as imperative to get accreditation from ISETT SETA and SAQA. "We have always put an emphasis on training and these are really good courses so we had to get them recognised."
Cell C offers training to its internal and external staff and also to its distribution partners. Kennedy explains that the company benefits from having a steady supply of people who can take part in the courses, which last up to nine days, and the delegates don't have to pay for them.
Mopaki says that of the 80 000 people trained through ISETT SETA's accredited programmes, in 2007, more than 60 000 have been employed.
Cell C's sales executive says the cellular operator hopes to build on what it has started and train more people in the industry. "This is year of the customer and we need more people with skills working for us."
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