A learnership programme for 60 females from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, with disabilities, was recently implemented by Sanitech, a division of Waco Africa. The learners, who all reside in rural areas around South Africa, embarked on a General Education and Training Certificate in Hygiene and Cleaning.

“This certificate is a level 1 certificate which allows the learner to work and study for a period of 12 months while receiving a stipend,” says Sanitech Managing Director Robert Erasmus. “Embarking on a level 1 roll out allows Sanitech to enrol youth that did not finish matric. Once they have successfully completed level 1 they can move on to level 2 and 3 in the following year.

“This process will give hope to youth who were not able to finish matric and are given a chance to pursue a career and stand a chance of attaining sustainable employment for the future. We are excited about this journey and look forward to watching it develop during the year ahead.”

This latest learnership programme has also enabled Waco to move from a BBBEE contribution Level 4 to a Level 3, with a BEE Supplier Recognition of 110%, in addition Waco Africa is now 52 % black owned business.

“The Waco Group continuously identifies talented individuals for promotion into positions that are strategically important or require unique skills. This is done through our Employee Development Programmes offered at different levels of the organisation and structured to achieve specific outcomes, contribute to the group’s management team and support leadership succession requirements,” concludes Erasmus.

The Waco Group offers several Employee Development Programmes, including the Waco Africa Cadet Scheme, Supervisory Development Programme, Business Leadership Development Programme and Executive Development Programme.

Once the learnerships are complete, the students will be absorbed into Sanitech’s business with their current 2 500 employees, and another cycle of learnerships will be rolled out.

Sanitech is a leading provider of cleaning and hygiene services, operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. It prides itself on being the continent’s leader in toilet hire and technology, providing superior products and excellent customer service. Sanitech is a division of Waco Africa, a Level 3 BEE contributor.

Waco Africa includes Sanitech, Form-Scaff, SGB-Cape, Skyjacks and Abacus Space Solutions. These businesses have been providing essential services in their markets for more than 60 years, and form an integral part of maintenance and infrastructure roll-out expenditure programmes including dams, bridges, power stations, petrochemical plants, mines, schools, hospitals, sanitation plants, shopping centres and office blocks.

Waco Africa is a subsidiary of Waco International, a global provider of formwork, shoring, scaffolding, industrial maintenances services, hydraulic and suspended access platforms, relocatable modular buildings, portable sanitation, and hygiene solutions. The group operates out of more than 100 locations in 15 countries across three continents.