Anyone can do it
2008-12-18
THE lack of basic literacy and numeracy among their staff, influenced Rennie Farms to start the Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) course in their midst. They recently held a graduation on the farm near Paarl. “Don’t be afraid, anyone can do it,” challenges Abet learner and Rennie Farms’ employee, Caroline Tom, who received her Literacy Level 2 certificate on 2 December. Forming part of the AgriSETA’s national ABET training programme, targeting 15 000 ABET learners on farms and in farming-related industries, the training is provided by ABET specialists Media Works. “Rennie Farms started the ABET project in March 2008 with 37 learners sourced from our permanent staff. After six months our first two learners completed their ABET Level 2 in English Communication (Literacy),” said Jake Rennie, finance director of Rennie Farms. Acknowledging the benefit staff development has for the business, Rennie states: “Due to past inequalities and adverse economic and social circumstances, we understand the educational challenges of our staff. This ABET intervention is assisting us to give our staff the opportunity to develop further.” All permanent staff members have been given the opportunity to take part in the training over a five year period. Targeting a total of 150 workers, Rennie Farms aims to have trained all staff up to ABET Level 4 by 2012. “The necessary structure is in place and Rennie Farms’ management is committed to the training. This together with the dedication and hard work of the learners is a winning combination,” said Caroline Knoetze, Media Works project manager. During assessments to determine the required training for staff, three staff members were identified as suitable facilitators for the training. After receiving the necessary training provided by Media Works, these facilitators provide full-time facilitation to all ABET learners on the farm. “Assessment is an extremely important first step because it helps us provide training that is suited to the training needs of individual learners,” Knoetze added. Rennie Farms’ assessments discovered a need for numeracy training and, being in a predominantly Afrikaans area, learners also identified English as a desired learning area. Although the farm experiences the typical challenges such as learner retention and seasonal production targets which can affect learning, the commitment of all the role-players has been a determining factor in the success of the training. Founded in 1973, Rennie Farms is a vegetable farm in the Paarl area which has supplied Woolworths with quality vegetables for over 25 years. The farm was recently part of the Government’s Land Redevelopment and Distribution (LRAD) programme in 2007 when 281 workers purchased 43,6% of the shares in Rennie Farms (Pty) Ltd.
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