More than 4 000 employees from the Shoprite Group’s fresh food departments will be upskilled as a result of the retailer’s latest training programme, which sets out a clear career path for all those working in, among others, its bakeries, delis, and fish departments.
At the centre of this programme is the assistant chefs training course (an NQF 2 qualification) which, in partnership with the International Hotel School, is offered exclusively to employees of the group. The course takes place over four months in monthly three-day block sessions, which are further supported by ongoing workplace application and mentorship.
Upon completion participants will have skills ranging from telephone etiquette and technical knife skills to the preparation of sauces from scratch.
The first group of participants – 157 mainly female staff members – recently started training in Gauteng at the International Hotel School and, according to the company, the intense training is already re-energising the fresh food departments.
“Everyone is rethinking their recipes and techniques, while also learning new ones. We are certain that upskilling our team will drive our business and the economy,” said Moga Pillay, spokesperson for the group’s training programmes.
“As South Africa’s largest private sector employer this is about more than just delivering better products and services to our customers. We want to offer our employees opportunities to grow their careers and continue climbing the culinary ladder within and outside our business,” added Pillay.
Lucretia Mathedimosa, a deli controller at Checkers Hyper Montana in Pretoria, is one of the participants. She believes this course is changing the direction of her career and is positive it will open doors.
“I am learning valuable skills during this training and am excited to take it back to store and use it to grow. I can’t wait to see customer’s reaction to my homemade mayonnaise,” Mathedimosa said.