JOBURG SOUTH – It’s for good reason that corporate training is high on the agenda for successful businesses.

Not only does training result in better equipped staff who are able to perform at higher levels, but training also results in better retention rates.  Employees are more loyal to companies that value their growth and want to cultivate it.

As important for CEO’s who are trying to grow socially responsible and sustainable businesses, is socio economic development (SED). In fact SED is so important that it is one of the seven elements of the BEE scorecard against which businesses are measured. In simple terms, SED seeks to encourage initiatives that enhance the ability of black people who remain non-participants in the economic mainstream to be included in participating in the economy in a sustainable manner.

However, with the recession still lingering, the enormous pressures faced by many companies to achieve on their bottom line targets often result in them only being able to focus their energies on SED or corporate training, or in many instances, neither.

“Pressure on CEOs is high,” says Devan Moonsamy, Training & Development Director of ICHAF (I Can Help Africa Foundation Training Institute). “So partnering with organisations who can help them achieve two or more goals with one action, should be high on their agenda.”

Moonsamy goes on to explain how engaging with an Accredited Training Provider, registered as a NGO or Section 21 Company has been the answer to many of South Africa’s leading businesses – growing their triple bottom line (profit, people and planet), improving their BEE rating, and at the same time contributing positively to the growth of their employees, and the communities in which they do business.

ICHAF is an n accredited FETC Provider, as well as a registered Section 21 Company, offering a delicate balance between both corporate training and CSR initiatives. “Combining both the corporate social segment with the training & development section, makes perfect business sense,” says Moonsamy.

This well balanced synergy is a unique approach to a company’s CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). “The combination gives our clients an opportunity to fulfil both their CSR obligation whilst preparing for future growth and improving the skills of workers through our training services,” says Moonsamy.

“With the revenue generated from our corporate training division, we are able to self-sustain the charity segment of our business.”

“Quality training and development interventions are essential to the productivity and performance of individuals within a workplace as well as to the overall future success of a company. At ICHAF, we provide corporate companies with corporate, leadership and soft skills training products as well as provide free training services to scholars,” says Moonsamy.

With a need for a sustainable solution to corporate training that speaks to long term employee implementation, ICHAF has uniquely designed its training tools to incorporate quality learning, leadership skills and learner implementation.

“Our training expertise combined with a vision to make ABET (Adult Basic Education Training) and scholar programmes more accessible to those who simply could not afford the service gave rise to The ICHAF Training Institute, (The I Can Help Africa Foundation Training Institute),” says Moonsamy.

Established in 2001, ICHAF now operates nationally and has vibrant scholar training programmes in the lower rural and lower segment schools in both Gauteng and KZN. Through their quality skills and development training programmes, ICHAF strive to empower people with skills and change the outlook of the youth whilst creating a self-sustainable, socially aware and committed society.

Aware of the need to curb current general education challenges faced by many South Africans, the ICHAF Training Institute has implemented a tutoring and teacher programme, designed to assist both struggling students and strained educators. Student teachers, funded by the corporate training sector of ICHAF are dispatched to qualifying schools to aid teachers with the workload. “These programmes have proven to be extremely successful and we have noticed an increase in learner-commitment levels,” says Moonsamy. “The Learners and teachers enjoy having a solid support system and enjoy the benefits of having an additional member of staff to support the learners who need dire assistance”.

Together with their vision to offer both free skills programmes to learners under 25 years old and those older than 55 years old as well as to provide on-going business support and advice to new entrepreneurs from the disadvantaged sector, ICHAF also aid in helping disabled persons who have beenexcluded from the mainstream of society, seek employment.