South Africa’s long-standing challenge with skills shortages is well known. Rather than relying on the tertiary education sector to produce ready-made entrants into the workplace, the opportunity exists for businesses to create valuable learnership programmes. More than just contributing to addressing a broader challenge, they can develop young South Africans who are better equipped to meet their needs.
Telviva, a market leader in cloud communications in Southern Africa, has over the years developed its own business communications products locally, including the flagship Telviva One, which seamlessly synchronises fixed line and mobile voice, chat and video in a single platform.
This means that the company has to develop some of the niche technical skills internally, and a good skills development programme is a prerequisite, to ensure that available staff are skilled to the required levels. Apart from purely the technical aspects, Telviva’s learnership programmes help young people master the fundamentals, including the technical aspects of the role, business English, conversational English, and communication skills and etiquette, helping position them for future growth.
More than just a tick box exercise, learnerships form a key part of knowledge-sharing for organisations that are eager to give people opportunities to learn and advance. The result is that by the end of the year’s programme, you have talented people with a qualification, who understand your company processes and procedures, and who have integrated into your company culture. Equally, the learner has a qualification, earning potential and opportunity.
This winning recipe provides the organisation with a level of skill security – because learnerships are cost-effective, we can afford to develop a higher number of skills that helps both the business with a skills pool, as well as the industry at large.
Telviva has had much success by taking on learners each year in Sector Education Training Authority (SETA) accredited programmes, and has employed more than 70% of the graduates that were trained over the last 7 years. It is an exciting way to develop skills that match with the company’s requirements; those who recently graduate from the programmes go on to form the new generation. Not only are these learners moving through the ranks and choosing the role that is best suited to them – but many are now paying it forward by going on to be mentors to new learners.
Many South African companies, especially small and medium sized businesses have not fully understood the value of learnerships, and have been missing out on the benefits that it brings.
The reality is that a learnership programme gives business the opportunity to build a level of technical capability, in line with industry best practices, but within the context of their own business so that these employees fully understand all the nuances of their organisation. While it does take much commitment and dedication, these learnership programmes will help provide local businesses with resources in a more affordable way, especially when it comes to filling junior positions.
On a broader scale, not only are they helping tackle the shortage of skills for their own growth and development, but helping make a dent in the country’s chronic unemployment challenge, helping enrich lives and bring broader socio-economic transformation for ordinary South Africans.
What some of the Telviva learnership graduates had to say:
“When you’re fresh out of varsity, it is difficult to find employment in your field of study without experience. The learnership gave me an opportunity to kick start my career. Apart from getting experience, I also got a qualification in the process – it is basically hitting two birds with one stone. I made sure that I always gave of my best and someone was always watching and took notice. I would never have imagined this is where I would be today. It amazes me when I think back,” says Siwe Alla, from the Class of 2018, and currently Team Leader of Telviva’s Network Operations Centre (NOC).
“It was a big change from school. I learnt so much about how to be in the working world. I am so grateful for the opportunity, I know so many of my contemporaries who haven’t found work,” says Makesha Pillay, from the Class of 2019, and now permanently employed as a 1st Line Support Engineer at Telviva.
By Kate Shead, HR Executive at Telviva.
Please contact info@telviva.co.za with any Internship requests.
