Sanral offers ‘priceless’ training to SMMES

IN A BID to alleviate the high unemployment rate in the country and to ensure that small businesses can grow and thrive, the SA National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) has launched a national training programme aimed at providing training to 48 000 small, medium and macro enterprise (SMMES) across the county.

SMMES in the Northern Cape are among those that stand to benefit from the programme.

Small business owners in Upington and Springbok in the Northern Cape were informed by Sanral Western Region transformation officer Morne Windvogel that business owners can, through the training, be equipped with the knowledge to identify critical information when submitting tender documents.

Windvogel said they have over the years realised that many businesses lose out on opportunities to tender due to fear or lack of knowledge on how to go about the process.

“Small businesses have great potential to grow and subcontractors have the potential to become main contractors. We cannot be pleased that small businesses remain at the point they started at. They need to be given the opportunities to grow and develop,” Windvogel said.

He added that the training will give SMMES lifelong knowledge to benefit their businesses.

“The knowledge that SMMES get from this training is priceless. The certificate has more than 80 credits and can be used as proof of prior learning in further studies. Owners of SMMES will gain knowledge of how to run profitable businesses.

“We have heard many cries from small and upcoming businesses regarding the challenges they face when it comes to pricing. Some small businesses do not know how to give a competitive price when putting in a tender. That usually results in a business losing out on a lucrative deal because they priced themselves too high or too low. This training is vital as it will give them valuable information on pricing and

teach them to complete tender documents correctly, while also showing them how to shore up their chances in a competitive manner.”

Windvogel added that the application process is not complicated.

“To qualify for the training, SMMES must be a registered company, have a Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) grading of 1-7CE and/or GB, be tax compliant, be 51% black-owned EME or QSE, and be registered on the central supplier database (CSD).

“In the event of a business owner not being able to attend the training, another person can attend the classes on behalf of the business, via a nomination letter to Sanral,” added Windvogel.

The classes will run for 22 days and trainees are required to attend all classes and write and pass all modules in order to be awarded a Ceta-accredited certificate.

Sanral aims to place 25 to 30 trainees per class, depending on logistical considerations, such as where people live. The idea is to group together people who live close to each other and hold the training in the area, thus cutting down travel time and promoting attendance with convenience and consideration, Windvogel said.

Local small business owners indicated that they are elated to be granted the training opportunity.

The secretary of the Northern Cape Kgalagadi Business Chamber, Kenneth Mtshawulana, advised local business owners to grab the opportunity.

“We have seen business owners are not properly skilled on how to do certain things. One finds the person is skilled to complete a certain project but does not have the knowledge on how to apply to get a tender. As a member of the PLC for Sanral, I have assisted many businesses to get information on available tenders. We want to see small businesses develop to a point where they are profitable and sustainable,” said Mtshawulana.

“Business owners cannot continue to live hand-to-mouth. We need businesses that will not crumble because they are no longer profitable. The business sector plays an important role in the fight against unemployment. We need businesses that will be able to employ people, not just on a temporary basis, but where the employer will be able to grow and offer full benefits as well.”

The owner of Namaqualand Construction, William Hearne, said he is a product of the SMME training programme, having participated in the Sanral empowerment initiative a decade ago.

“I did this training programme about 10 years ago and it has assisted my company tremendously. The people who attended the training programme back then also currently run successful construction businesses in other parts of the Province and country,” said Hearne.

“At that stage, we were all very new to the industry and our knowledge was very limited. With the knowledge we got from that programme, we were able to run our businesses successfully and sustain them through difficult financial times. This programme costs business owners nothing to complete, but the results thereof are for life.

“People pay thousands for educational training and courses, this one is free but the knowledge one gets will benefit businesses forever.”