At last year’s Consumer Goods Council, Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu stated, “Almost 80% of SMMEs fail in the first year and only 50% of those last more than five business years”. It is hard enough keeping your business on track, and having to train staff can be costly.
With legislation now in place that makes this training obligatory, the pressure is immense.
How can I comply with the Employment Equity Act to train my staff?
The Employment Equity Act requires business owners to conduct staff training in the fields of HIV/AIDS, sexual harassment and cultural sensitivity. If these requirements are not met, an inspector from the Department of Labour may issue a fine of R500 000. These inspections can happen unannounced at any time.
How can one balance complying with this Act with the extra expenditure on staff training?
E-learning materials are customisable and can be edited for a targeted demographic of learners. Information can be adjusted if it changes, which in turn cuts costs of having to purchase new textbooks or print materials.
Using video, animation, text and audio inputs, many industries have discovered the value of making training interactive.
Video
For employees with low literacy capabilities, compiling video material allows for a dramatic reduction in reading for learners.
Animation
Animation can be used to demonstrate complex problems and solutions. Able to provide lessons in its social context, it assists learners to retain large quantities of information.
Virtual Classrooms
A virtual classroom allows online interaction between students, teachers and peers. The major benefit of using this method is that it eliminates the need to travel to lessons.
Instructional Design
If your training needs are specific to your business, a customised e-learning solution can be designed and developed from start to finish to best suit your needs.
Blended Learning
Not everyone has adapted to using technology. Some learners still need human interaction to grasp a topic. If this is the case taking the route of blended learning, which combines digital with face-to-face, would be most appropriate.
Adaptability
There is e-learning material currently available on HIV/AIDS, sexual harassment and cultural sensitivity. The beauty of e-learning material is its adaptability to meet the needs of your workforce.