Johannesburg, 30 Aug 2022
Altron Karabina, riding a stellar business turnaround and solid growth, has announced that it has maintained its level one broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) rating. Head of Human Capital at Altron Karabina Caron Reynolds says the business is committed to keep making progress in all the pillars of B-BBEE by embracing the spirit of B-BBEE.
“B-BBEE underpins the imperative of transformation in our society, and we believe in transformation as a social and business imperative and not merely a scorecard exercise. To this end, we will continue to focus on all aspects of the scorecard."
Altron Karabina improved marginally across various pillars of the B-BBEE scoring system. “From an ownership perspective, we continue to gain from being part of the Altron group,” explains Reynolds.
“We have seen an improvement in the demographic representation within the organisation, across all occupational levels. Although we recognise that we have a way to go and appreciate that this is a journey, we are steadfastly striving to make continual improvements,” she says.
Focusing on skills, which Reynolds says is a key priority for the business and the country: "We have a critical skills shortage in the country and worldwide, and in the IT industry specifically, but tragically, we have many young people without the skills or opportunities to find employment. This is why the focus on skills development is crucial,” she says.
“As a business, we have made a long-term commitment to support youth and disabled people. We do not view this as a once-off event, but rather a long-term commitment to developing skills and building workplace confidence over the course of a few years,” explains Reynolds.
She says that Altron Karabina also partakes in broader, group-wide CSI initiatives. “We participate in group-level initiatives with a big focus on building maths, science and English capabilities in the country. Altron has identified these skills as crucial in narrowing the gap between the crunching skills shortage and disadvantaged children who need the skills and opportunities to fill the skills gap. By giving them an opportunity to acquire these skills – it benefits them, their families and communities, the industry and the country,” she says.
Altron Karabina MD Collin Govender says embracing the spirit of B-BBEE comes naturally to the business because it is actively driving a greater purpose throughout the workforce. “We continue to drive our organisation to be a picture of the South Africa we all want to live in.
“We are consciously driving a sense of accountability to the purpose of each and every project, and this carries over to our own business and employees.
“It is a privilege to be involved in the work we do and to make an impact on the businesses of customers, which affects broader society positively. It is no different with internal growth, procurement, skills development and employment – it is with a sense of honour, accountability and duty that we contribute to the broader upliftment and transformation of our society.”
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