Social practices
We align our approach to transformation with South Africa’s B-BBEE codes. We believe in staff development, social upliftment, and initiatives that have a positive impact on South African society and the economy as a whole.
While we are committed to a blended learning approach to staff development, we are proud of The Blue Label Academy, our internal e-learning training academy, which aims at providing training and development to all staff regardless of where they are located in South Africa.
Staff members are able to select business and technical courses, and complete these courses on-line, at their own pace and in their own time. Training contributes towards individual performance assessment for Blue Label Telecoms Group staff.
In addition to the e-learning initiative, staff members have the opportunity of registering and completing formal classroom-based training. These modules help us to enhance the skillset of the lower to middle levels of staff. Modules offered range from customer service training to supervisory skills for middle management.
Blue Label Distribution provides product-based training through the “My Track” portal, which is a multi-purpose tool for product-related communication, training, and is used to house up-to-date product-related content. Each staff member loads a training plan that is specific to their job role, and progresses from Baby Blu (the induction course), via Light Blu and finally to Tru Blu. My Track allows us to monitor staff progress and ensure everybody is up to date with the latest products, services, policies and procedures.
Where necessary, senior management and executives participate in guided coaching programmes aimed at enhancing their strategic thinking and leadership skills.
Within the Blue Label Telecoms Group, the total spend on training for the 2016 financial year was R7 million (2015: R5.4 million).
Learnerships
Every year we provide a number of SETA-accredited learnerships in technology, financial accounting, and end-user computing. Each learner is mentored and assisted through their learnership to ensure it is completed successfully for the learner to obtain the relevant qualification. We strive to include female learners, and people living with disability.
Our socio-economic development focus relates to youth, sports development, and technological development and in 2016, we spent R6.5 million on socio-economic development projects. Where possible, we aim to support projects in which staff are actively involved. Our flagship project is the club house for the Protea Glen Boys and Girls Club of South Africa, which we built in partnership with Boys and Girls Club of SA and Tupperware SA. This club offers facility-based after-school programmes for 200 school-going young people between the ages of 6 and 19, supervised by trained professionals who provide structured activities for each day. Attendees are offered a meal, academic supervision and various extramural activities, such as technology, sport, drama, music and art. The club aims to enhane the current education system, while grounding children in a holistic and value-based educational philosophy, ultimately for their own protection and development.
In line with B-BEEE codes, we focus on enterprise and supplier development by providing financial assistance and strategic support to ZOK, a qualifying enterprise focused on empowering young, budding entrepreneurs from previously disadvantaged communities. ZOK supports these entrepreneurs by equipping them with a fully functional container for selling prepaid airtime and electricity as well as other retail offerings.
Preferential Procurement
Wherever possible, the Group continues to source goods and services from B-BBEE-compliant suppliers.
