For years, South African businesses have been pumping money into skills development—thanks to levies, B-BBEE scorecards, and a whole alphabet of compliance acronyms. But let’s be honest: for all the billions spent, what do we have to show for it?
A pile of certificates. A handful of short-term hires. A youth unemployment rate still sitting at crisis levels. And, most frustrating of all, a widening gap between the skills we say we need and the talent we’re actually building.
It’s not that the system is broken—it’s that we’re not using it properly.
The frameworks are there. The funding is there. The intent is (mostly) there. What’s missing is a strategic shift: from short-term compliance exercises to long-term talent investment. From ticking boxes to solving real business problems. From lost potential to pipelines that actually produce.
Here’s how we change the game.
Training Should Solve a Business Problem, Not Just Tick a Box
If you’re still running your learnerships or internship programmes based on compliance alone, you’re missing the point. The purpose of these programmes isn’t just to fill out a form or achieve a B-BBEE scorecard target. It’s about solving business problems and addressing skills gaps that impact your operations now and in the future.
Think about it:
- Which critical roles need to be filled in the next 12 to 36 months?
- What specific skills are needed to drive business performance?
- How can we use our skills development spend to target these needs, not just follow a one-size-fits-all approach?
Instead of blindly following whatever training programme the SETAs prescribe, ask yourself: How does this help my business succeed? That’s where the real talent pipeline starts—by using training as a tool to close the specific gaps that are limiting growth and efficiency.
Stop Outsourcing Your Scorecard—Own It Internally
We’ve all seen it: businesses outsourcing their B-BBEE skills targets to external training providers and hoping for the best. Sure, they meet their targets on paper—but where’s the lasting impact?
The truth is, when you hand off your skills spend, you’re not just outsourcing compliance—you’re missing out on an opportunity to build internal capacity.
Ownership matters. You need to be involved in every part of the process:
- Selecting who gets trained
- What skills they’re acquiring
- How that training aligns with your business strategy
- And, importantly, how your organisation supports their growth once they’ve completed the programme
By taking ownership of your B-BBEE skills targets and development programmes, you can make sure they’re directly connected to the real needs of your business.
Youth Unemployment: This Is Not Just a Numbers Game
South Africa’s youth unemployment rate remains one of the highest globally—hovering at a staggering 60%. Yet, many businesses still struggle to find skilled talent. Why? Because businesses often focus on filling roles, not building careers.
Think about it—just throwing a young person into a role without the proper training, mentorship, or career development plan is not the solution. Skills development should be a long-term, meaningful journey—one that includes hands-on experience, mentorship, and the chance for career progression.
It’s about creating a framework that nurtures young talent, helps them grow their skills, and eventually takes on leadership roles. That’s how you break the cycle of unemployment.
Reframe the Scorecard as a Tool for Transformation, Not Admin
B-BBEE has been a part of South Africa’s business landscape for over two decades. While it has made some progress, it’s often seen as a box to tick for businesses trying to improve their scorecard. But if that’s your goal, you’re doing it all wrong.
The B-BBEE scorecard is more than just a compliance tool—it’s a catalyst for genuine transformation. By using B-BBEE as a framework, businesses can make real, lasting changes. This doesn’t just mean training a few black employees for the sake of ticking boxes. It means creating opportunities for skills development and leadership growth across the organisation, including underrepresented groups.
The key is to leverage B-BBEE for true transformation—by developing talent that is ready to step into leadership roles, drive innovation, and help businesses stay competitive.
Rethink ROI: What’s the Real Return on Your Skills Spend?
If your ROI metric for skills development is simply, “Did we meet our target?”, you’re missing the bigger picture. Sure, you might have filled out your compliance forms, but that’s not where the real value lies.
The right ROI should look like this:
- Did the training help us close a critical skills gap?
- Are we developing talent that aligns with our long-term business objectives?
- Are those learners ready to take on leadership roles in the future?
The true ROI of skills development is measured in talent, not paperwork. When you invest in training that directly addresses the needs of your business, you’re not just checking a box—you’re building the future of your organisation.
Here’s the Bottom Line:
South African businesses aren’t short on challenges—but we’re also not short on talent. The frameworks for skills development already exist, and so does the funding. The real question is: are we using these resources strategically?
It’s time to stop seeing compliance as a burden and start using it as a lever to build long-term success.
At GH Skills Solutions, we work with businesses to design skills development strategies that serve both the B-BBEE scorecard and long-term workforce needs. It’s about shifting from short-term compliance to long-term capacity.
Compliance might open the door. But strategy keeps it open.
