Despite the crucial role of transformation in driving and growing the South Africa economy, most Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) managers are asked to drive this complex systemic process with little or no formal training. To-date, there has been no longitudinal accredited work-based learning process that mentors new transformation champions to deal with these responsibilities.
This is according to Dr Robin Woolley, Executive Director at Transcend Corporate Advisors. He announced this week that Transcend Corporate Advisors would be launching a B-BBEE Internship Programme, which will begin in late March and run until August, with clients having to commit their chosen BEE champion to 9.5 full workdays for training over the six-month period.
“The internship programme, through a combination of work-based and classroom-based processes, aims to provide a detailed step-by-step approach to understanding and implementing enterprise transformation, based on the revised Code of Good Practice and empirical best practice,” Dr Woolley explains.
Dr Woolley says that this internship is aimed at the B-BBEE champion who wants practical training, which is delivered through a structured 6-month programme based on classroom and on-the-job learning processes. Delivery combines classroom facilitation, experiential learning in communities and expert mentorship processes.
“The objective of this internship is to equip BEE champions to move organisations beyond classical tick-box compliance thinking around B-BBEE, to truly embrace the new enterprise transformation paradigm,” he explains.
“The process includes an explanation of the Department of Trade and Industry’s revised Codes of Good Practice and scorecard measurements, as well as a set of enterprise principles and a transformation process roadmaps that serve as the foundation for a framework that captures the current state of the business, envisions the future state, and determines actions needed for guiding transformation efforts,” he says.
“The internship has three learning blocks, all of two-month’s duration, the first being understanding the company’s current state against the Revised Codes of Good Practice. This is led by a three-day programme to equip the BEE champion with the technical knowledge necessary to analyse compliance with B-BBEE legislation and other relevant regulations,” he notes.
He explains that step two involves the tracking of the organization’s progress, during which time the champions will be equipped and mentored with the tools necessary to track progress on the job. In the event of non-compliance with legal and other requirements, the champion will be able to formulate recommendations for solving these issues.
“The third and last phase involves building a B-BBEE strategy and implementation plan. As part of the learning journey, BEE champions will be equipped with the skills to build a sustainable B-BBEE strategy and plan for the company, which will be reviewed by Transcend’s expert consultants to ensure sustainability and viability,” Dr Woolley notes.
Dr Woolley says that the internship programme aims to support the company’s B-BBEE points through contributing to Category D learnerships and the skills spend category. As this is certified training, companies should be able to claim the costs of the course against their skills levy.
“The end result of the internship programme is the company gets a B-BBEE plan for its business based on the revised Codes of Good Practice and has a fully trained, experienced B-BBEE champion to fully drive the transformation process in the business,” Dr Woolley adds.
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