Huhtamaki, a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions, continues to invest in quality workplace training to enhance productivity and efficiencies at its factory in Springs, Gauteng, South Africa, where high quality moulded fibre packing has been manufactured since 1976 for leading food retailers in the country. At the same time, the company is helping address South Africa’s high adult illiteracy problem. About one third or 8,7-million South Africans over 20 years of age may be functionally illiterate. This is due to, among other reasons, shortcomings in the formal education system and poverty.

Huhtamaki’s ongoing investment into adult education and training (AET) is yielding positive results. Training in basic English communication and numbers skills has significantly improved employees’ ability to work with the latest sophisticated machinery on the factory floor. There has also been a notable improvement in the accuracy of stocktaking in the company’s warehousing operations due to AET. Moreover, those employees who have completed various levels of AET are able to communicate more efficiently with their supervisors.

Importantly, the training has also resulted in improved employee engagement. “It is encouraging to see just how enthusiastic the Huhtamaki employees in Springs, South Africa are about completing their training. They could hardly wait for their training to recommence when it was suspended during the lockdown. This is because they have seen for themselves how important basic English and Maths skills are in just about every facet of their daily lives. This is over-and-above the applicability of the skills in a modern workplace. A positive attitude towards training and optimistic feedback from learners is always a good indication of the quality of our AET,” Marco Maree of Triple E Training says.

Triple E Training, an accredited training provider, has been supplying AET to Huhtamaki South Africa since 2017.

Over the years, more than 20 Huhtamaki employees in South Africa have participated in Triple E Training’s maths and English literacy training programmes and seven have already progressed through the various levels of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET). Triple E Training is now training 15 of the company’s employees in basic communication and maths skills.

There are many reasons for Huhtamaki South Africa choosing to partner Triple E Training for its AET, ranging from ABET Level 1 through to ABET Level 4.

Importantly, Triple E Training can provide a flexible training solution that accommodates Huhtamaki’s shift schedules. Moreover, the company delivers a highly professional training service. Its training facilitators are highly skilled and experienced in adult learning and are always punctual. This has ensured a positive training outcome for the company and the participants.

“It is always an absolute pleasure working with a company that takes workplace training very seriously, as opposed to training just for the sake of it. Huhtamaki South Africa is investing in the success of its people, and this shows through its continued investment into quality ABET,” Maree concludes.