The purpose of the programme is to support, provide direction and leadership, instil corporate discipline and promote the services of the PPECB.

The programme focuses on the following:

The PPECB offers a learnership at National Qualification Framework (NQF) Level 5, exposing learners to the postharvest agricultural value chain and providing them with a headstart in advancing themselves professionally in this sector. The learnership programme is provided in partnership with the DALRRD and the Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority (AgriSETA).

In collaboration with the AgriSETA, the PPECB provides job exposure in fields like ICT, Finance, Human Capital and Marketing to unemployed graduates. The PPECB also provides opportunities for students studying agriculture-related qualifications by offering workplace exposure which contributes to the final requirement for the students graduating.

Youth, women and people with disabilities are given opportunities through internships and learnerships in the organisation programmes.

With regard to internal stakeholders, the focus is on women and youth empowerment. Leadership development initiatives are in place to ensure that women are accelerated so that they can assume leadership roles as these are currently predominantly occupied by their male counterparts. The PPECB has also developed a talent framework to ensure that we focus on the development of women. The PPECB is striving to be a learning institution and is leveraging technology to ensure that the training provided meets the needs of the modern generation. The Learning Management System hosts online onboarding and other learning material, used for supervisory and management development as part of a blended learning approach that reduces face-to-face classroom time and augments time in the field for operational employees.

Internal development focuses on women, developing youth with potential and youth with disabilities. Over and above training, coaching and mentoring provided to our internal stakeholders, we also have a dedicated programme for ensuring uniform interpretation and consistent application of standards during the execution of product inspections, cold chain functions and food safety audits. The Learning and Development Specialists aim to mitigate the risks of incorrect decision-making during inspections and cold chain functions, enhancing the confidence levels of employees and associated clients during service delivery.

Both the organisation and individuals must place emphasis on continuous skills development. Individuals will need to develop a different set of competencies that will enable them to cope with digitalisation. The competencies required, therefore, will be a mixed bag consisting of behavioural, technical, and practical competencies. This means it will not be enough to only have the knowledge; application also becomes important. In the rapid re-skilling era, unlimited and unrestricted access to learning is becoming a game changer. However, to harness the benefits of this unlimited and unrestricted access to learning we must develop into selfdirected, agile learners with a strong growth mindset. The organisational culture required is one that promotes lifelong learning. All generations and types of employees will need to be given the opportunity to upskill themselves. This implies that learning will have to be on-demand, bitesized and in different formats to suit all types of learning styles. The policies and procedures put in place should encourage unlimited and unrestricted access to learning. Innovation should be encouraged, and people must be allowed to explore, experiment, and fail without fear of punishment. Employees also need space to unlearn redundant competencies and relearn what is relevant for the future.