CS Education Solutions, the training division of JSE-listed CS Holdings, has concluded a three-year contract with Sasol Chemical Industries to provide Microsoft Office desktop training to the company`s 4 000 employees.
Sasol Chemical Industries Limited (SCI) produces a wide variety of commodity and higher-value petrochemicals, fertilisers, mining explosives and pipeline gas.
The company is responsible for the co-ordination of Sasol`s chemical, polymer and related manufacturing, marketing and sales operations in SA, the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australasia, including various joint-venture companies and operations.
SCI has the most diversified portfolio of fatty alcohols between C6 and C22+ in the world and is the leading supplier to the chemical industry. It is the world`s second largest producer of linear alkylbenzene, has an almost complete range of surfactants, and is one of the world`s leading players in markets for non-ionic (ethoxylates) and anionic (sulphates/sulfonates) surfactants.
"All SCI employees will be undergoing MS Office training, which SCI have been using extensively over the past few years," says Jackie Lange, business development manager at CS Education Solutions. "The company has long since realised the importance of computer literacy in today`s business world and consequently go out of their way to ensure that their staff are thoroughly equipped with the latest IT skills."
"While it is generally assumed that most people are familiar with the MS Office suite, we have found that many of our employees are not aware of all of the features within the package," explains SCI people development specialist Wikus Ehlers. "Additionally, any upgrade we may implement brings with it a host of new features and functions. Instead of leaving our staff to teach themselves through trail and error, we decided to provide them with formal training so that they can make good use of all the capabilities of the MS Office package."
"We have done extensive skills assessments within the company`s various business units to determine exactly what the individual training requirements are, so that we can assist SCI staff in identifying which course(s) they need to attend, depending on their specific job requirements," Lange adds.
An important prerequisite of the contract is that it be done in accordance with National Qualification Framework (NQF) requirements. SCI is currently in the process of registering as a training provider with the Services Sector Education Training Authority (SETA). Consequently, it is essential that any training provider SCI partners with is NQF-aligned.
SCI has also extended the use of its training facilities to other companies in the Sasolburg region. If only a small number of SCI`s staff are scheduled to attend a particular course, they invite other companies to join them, thus ensuring that the training remains economically viable.
"Our relationship with CS Education Solutions began over three years ago," Ehlers continues. "Their customer service levels have far exceeded our expectations, hence the decision to renew their contract for three years instead of one.
"Our intention is not to terminate the agreement at the end of that period, however, but to extend it so that CS Education Solutions can continue to provide training on any other solution that our company may choose to implement in the future," he concludes. The SCI contract with CS Education Solutions is valued at R2.25 million over a period of three years.
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CS Education Solutions, a division of JSE-listed CS Holdings, is one of the largest providers of high-quality, customised, and accredited IT education and training solutions to corporates and end-users in the Southern African region.
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