Skills Development – Not A Nice To Have But An Essentail Tool For The Business

“If you value your clients and your employees, training is an essential, not a nice to have,” says Didi Ndlovu – Human Resources Manager at Alteram Solutions.  This is why the organisation took one and a half years to develop an extensive training programme that is now available to all the staff within this truly homegrown ICT company. 

Internationally, companies that offer comprehensive training programmes enjoy up to a 24% higher profit margin compared to companies that don’t offer training. ₁ Employee productivity is driven by the skills advancements made possible through employee skills development programmes. ₂ To thrive, companies need to do whatever is necessary to help their employees do their jobs effectively.  A recent study shows that companies with a high level of employee engagement outperform those with lower levels of engagement. ₃

With this understanding in mind, Alteram Solutions launched an extensive skills development programme for its employees as part of the business plan to improve, assist and enhance the way in which its employees do their jobs.  “Every single person in the organisation has equal access to training - this was key in our implementation,” adds Didi.

Alteram Solutions has grown rapidly since its inception in 2013 and now employs over 180 employees across the country.  “As a services company, our employees are the only asset we have to sell. We are thus always looking for ways to improve our skills and service offerings.  Growing a successful business is all about having a good business mind, combined with a strong skill set in a particular area of expertise,” says Garth Madella – Chief Technology Officer at Alteram Solutions.

“We believe that Alteram Solutions’ growth has been strengthened by employee development as new ideas, solutions, techniques and strategies are continuously being developed in the business. If Alteram Solutions does not regularly train its employees on these new developments, the risk of falling behind from its competitors as well as losing touch with its clients’ needs is very high,” says Didi.

The Human Resources department at Alteram Solutions spent a year and a half designing and developing an effective skills development and training plan.  Significant research aimed at the integration of the development of employees as individuals and their performance as teams in order to grow the business was conducted.  This included the following:

• Setting goals that support the business strategy.
• Assessing the skills and tools needed for effective job performance (skills gap analysis).
• Establishing appropriate training resources to facilitate the skills development and training programme.
• Establishing applicable policies and procedures for the skills development and training programme.

“So far, the implementation of the skills development and training programme has brought a huge change in the mindset of the employees at Alteram Solutions and has helped them feel motivated, more engaged and confident in the importance and value of what they add to the business. Furthermore, this initiative adds value to the company as once employees are trained – they will be able to do their jobs more effectively.  Alteram Solutions views its employees as its most valuable asset and making sure that they are trained with the knowledge and skills they need is an investment,” concludes Didi.

For more information on Alteram Solutions visit:  http://www.alteram.co.za

Tel: (010) 900 4075

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Website: http://www.alteram.co.za

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