Claiming back training grants just got a lot easier

A HEADLINE benefit of a new Cargo Info Africa training feature is that it provides a powerful tool to assist companies in claiming mandatory grant payments from the skills development levy administered by the Transport Education and Training Authority (Teta). To pass the Teta test for payment, companies in the freight and transport industries are going to have to submit their workplace skills plan for Teta approval by the end of June. But recent developments have ensured that the opportunities for complying with Teta criteria for payment of mandatory grants have never been brighter for freight forwarding companies, according to Global Trade Training (GTT) MD Charles Dey. “For workplace skills plans to be approved,” he said, “there is an increasing requirement for skills programmes to be aligned to unit standards which lead to national qualifications, and to be provided by an accreditedprovider. This year it is 50% and will increase to 100% by end 2010.” The answer to the question: “How do I do it?” is answered by the new Cargo Info Africa training facility (www.cargoinfo. co.za/training.asp) – which provides a comprehensive range of GTT courses. “Our courses are all unit standards based,” said Dey. “Most of them are accredited – and we are in constant liaison with Teta to extend the scope of our accreditation. “The new Cargo Info Africa Training feature is a ready source of information on these courses and it will assist skills development facilitators in aligning their companies’ training plans to the Teta criteria.” For companies that need to determine their individual employee training needs, GTT has also compiled a training needs self-assessment questionnaire. “We assist those responsible for the training in their companies to administer this questionnaire and complete their workplace skills plans and discretionary grant applications from the information gathered,” said Dey. Another driving force behind creating a Teta-approved workplace skills plan is that it is a bonus point in a company’s broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) compliance. “Companies that need to fulfil the requirements of the skills development pillar of the generic BBBEE scorecard,” said Dey, “must submit a Teta-approved workplace skills plan.”