In the Creating People Advantage 2023 report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA), over 50% of South African respondents said that they would consider a lack of talent to be the biggest obstacle to their company’s success. With increased emigration from South Africa and a world in which skilled labour seems to be at an ever increasing premium, what can business do to ensure that a talent deficit will not have a negative impact on their business?
“First and foremost, I would recommend that you focus on building, developing and upskilling your internal talent pipeline,” says Eileen Thornhill, Director of The LLC Academy. “The war for talent is real, and developing talent internally allows for greater succession planning and increased stability in your organisation. By offering programmes focused on the development of leadership skills across the board, The LLC Academy seeks to develop each and every one of our learners in a holistic manner. In addition, we recognise that people have different development requirements at different levels. Our programmes, therefore, cater for ‘leaders of self’, ‘leaders of others’, and ‘leaders of leaders’.”
“The purpose of a focus on holistic development is twofold,” says Thornhill. “By developing the intra-personal, interpersonal, and business skills of our learners, we not only equip them with the toolset to improve their own lives and build their own careers – we also ensure that they are effectively equipped with the skills they need to add more value to your business.”
“In addition to the business benefit of having a staff complement that is equipped with those skills necessary to function effectively in their respective roles, communicate effectually with their colleagues, and stand up and take on leadership duties when necessary, the programmes offered by The LLC Academy also offer an array of B-BBEE benefits that will stand your business in good stead when it comes to your B-BBEE scorecard,” says Thornhill. “These include Procurement benefits, where R100 spent with The LLC Academy counts as R500 on your procurement scorecard, as well as Enterprise and Supplier Development, as The LC Academy is a 73.57% black owned qualifying Enterprise and Supplier Development Beneficiary.”
“Furthermore, all of the programmes offered by The LLC Academy cater for many of the sub-objectives of the skills development element of the B-BBEE scorecard,” says Thornhill. “Our programmes are classified as category B, C and D on the B-BBEE Skills Matrix. In terms of Socio-Economic Development, all of our programmes seek to benefit those South Africans who have been previously disadvantaged, and our clients choose how their SED funds are utilised.”
“Building homegrown talent requires that you strengthen your talent pipeline for today and develop your talent pipeline for tomorrow,” says Thornhill. “The LLC Academy, therefore, offers programmes that develop your staff into all-round leaders capable of achieving great things – all the while adding additional B-BBEE benefit to your business.”
If you see the value of upskilling and developing your employees, but don’t know where to start, speak to our consultants at The LLC Academy today. We are ready and willing to take you through what is required to ensure that your talent pipeline is fit and flourishing, ensuring that your business is equipped to succeed today – and tomorrow.