In 2008 & 2009 we ran a Seta-accredited Wholesale and Retail training programme aimed at small and emerging Black business owners and entrepreneurs.
In all, over ninety learners in four provinces participated. Interestingly, 67% of the participants were female.
Aims & Objectives
Specifically, this training programme had the following objectives:
- To increase the sustainability of black-owned SMME craft businesses, particularly those in rural and peri-urban poverty nodes
- To stimulate the growth of new black-owned wholesale and retail businesses
- To improve the skills of individuals to enable them to obtain employment within the wholesale and retail sector, or move successfully to other opportunities.
- To support capacity building within the small business development sector, by developing young black trainee assessors and facilitators.
- To establish a new WRSETA accredited training provider, and develop appropriate training materials and learning methods for this class of learner.
The training programme was made up of two week-long modules and provided a thorough introduction to retail and wholesale sales and retail shop management skills.
The first module (Run a Small Business) covered basic financial systems and recordkeeping, cash flows, stock control, HR and legal requirements and general administration. The second module (Retail Sales Skills) taught learners about interpersonal sales skills, negotiating techniques, meeting customer needs and wholesale and retail sales operations and strategies.
Practical and Hands-On
The training included practical lectures, role play simulations, store visits as well as a series of tasks and exercises designed to bring the content to life for the learners. There was also a programme of post-training support built in to the overall programme, in order to help those who struggled to master the course content, and for others keen to take their business to new heights.
The training programme was held at four separate sites – one each in the Western Cape, Kwazulu Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng. Fetola arranged and administered the training and management of the sites, with assistance from a network of Seta-accredited Facilitators, Assessors, Moderators and Site Administrators.
By all accounts, the training was a tremendous success, with 99% of participants reporting good to excellent satisfaction with the course content and materials, and 95% indicating high levels of confidence in terms of applying what they learned into their own businesses.
