In the face of the chronic skills shortage in South Africa and the lack of real opportunities for previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs) to raise their qualification levels, SAPICS Education offers employees in the supply chain management sector an ideal opportunity to develop their careers and gain an international certificate. This according to Elize Ackerman, a director of CS Education Solutions, a division of JSE-listed CS Holdings. CS Holdings was recently selected as the exclusive SAPICS Education Outsourcing Partner by SAPICS (The South African Production & Inventory Control Society). As a result CS Holdings has taken over full responsibility for the provision and re-sale of SAPICS-approved supply chain management courses in Africa.
Ackerman says that since supply chain management is an important aspect of virtually every type of business from manufacturing through to retail, wholesale distribution and transport, SAPICS Education offers an excellent opportunity for PDIs to raise their prospects.
Nedlac figures indicate that 63% of all jobs in South Africa fall in sectors where SAPICS training is relevant, these include the manufacturing sector - responsible for supplying 27,3% of jobs; the wholesale retail, motor trade and hotel sector - 17. 4% of jobs; the mining and quarrying sector - 8.2%; the construction sector - 5.1%; and the transport, storage and communications sector - 5%.
"In fact," says Ackerman, "since this sector provides more blue-collar opportunities than the financial and IT sectors, we believe the percentage of PDIs in this sector is far greater than 63%. This is the legacy of the Apartheid era South Africa is trying to remedy through legislation. But legislation is not enough to change the status quo. The poverty and lack of opportunity of the past continues to present an obstacle to PDIs. Poor communities are still offered fewer educational opportunities and PDIs must still struggle to obtain resources to improve their education.
Real change can only be affected when those individuals who consider themselves PDIs take it upon themselves to actively seek solutions that are relevant and realistic within the framework of their own personal set of circumstances.
"We believe that this is where SAPICS Education has a huge role to play," says Ackerman. "Since the majority of jobs available in South Africa fall in industries where SAPICS training is relevant, SAPICS training is relevant to the majority of employed people in South Africa.
"It`s a sad fact that, despite SAPICS training having such broad application, only four South Africans have ever achieved the Certificate in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM), SAPICS` top qualification, while only 700 South Africans have ever achieved the Certificate in Production and Industry Management (CPIM). No wonder South Africa lags so far behind the international arena in productivity and quality standards," adds Ackerman.
By offering PDIs an opportunity to develop their careers, employers automatically pave the way to improved productivity and quality. A hidden benefit is the fact that SAPICS Education also gives employees an excellent foundation on which to build ERP user training for current and future implementations of ERP systems.
"If SAPICS training were to become a standard career development tool for all employees in these sectors, South Africa`s economy would soon begin to bear the fruits.
"Those PDIs who have latent entrepreneurial skills will gain the confidence to leave their companies to establish new businesses. The local skills market will become more competitive. SAPICS qualified PDIs will move into higher income brackets. The benefits would come full cycle when employers` companies use those new SAPICS skills to become more productive and competitive to meet the demands of that stimulated economy. SAPICS Education offers a range of courses, of which the diplomas are certified by APICS, the American Production and Inventory Control Society.
This means certified graduates immediately become internationally qualified. Not only does this signify that international standards are adhered to and raise the qualification value of the employee, it also ensures that South African companies are better able to ensure the international standards of their operations. It increases the pool of skills they have access to and enables them to use more South African skills in their overseas ventures.
"The world has become a highly integrated network of balances and counter-balances," says Ackerman. "New legislation and global pressures have combined to ensure that South African companies can no longer afford to ignore their responsibilities in the sphere of training. We predict that South African industrial employers will soon find that SAPICS Education offers a very real solution to their needs."
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