Fedics celebrates graduation day

Fedics established the Institute for Hospitality Studies (IHS) in 1994 and offers a range of courses, including basic IT skills, food preparation and presentation proficiency in a fully equipped demonstration kitchen. Employees can also undergo training in business acumen from junior to management level. This is all part of Fedics’ commitment to consistently raising the skills levels of its staff members.

The graduation ceremony that took place at Fedics head office in Rosebank, Johannesburg in July saw 16 of the 21 delegates graduating, prompting Fedics regional director Jack Ferreira to comment on the pass rate of almost 80% being “exceptional and a testament to the candidates’ dedication”.

Designed to groom employees for the next level in their careers, candidate Chris Mwelwa, senior assistant facilities manager at Carousel Casino, says the course was an eye-opener which enabled him to fully understand the company’s vision.

He says, “It was all about how Fedics operates, from HR through to procurement. It prepares us for promotion and made me feel like an important part of the company.”

In identifying managers for training and possible promotion to project or district managers, Fedics offers an 18-month course which includes workshops for two days a month and an assignment each month. More personal proficiencies such as presentation skills, assertiveness, creativity, coaching others and confidence building round off the skills development initiatives.

Another recent graduate is ERS quality manager Memento Bester, who has been with the company for some 13 years. She says: “The course was about getting to know the company and how it operates and also seeing the bigger picture and identifying all the different roles in the corporate structure.”

Thabiso Tshabalala, a five-year veteran of Fedics and currently a skills facilitator, adds: “The course enabled us to take a step up and become project or district managers. It was very useful as it allowed us to all grow and become better at our jobs and understand the company as a whole.”

Tshabalala believes that the units that undertook the course “are performing better than others that haven’t”, and suggests improved knowledge and skills encourages better performance all round.

Jack Ferreira, Fedics regional director, says of the graduates: “These people are the future of our company. It doesn’t stop here for the candidates, though – it’s now time to accelerate their careers.”

With training a part of its corporate culture, the Tsebo Outsourcing Group is dedicated to ensuring staff from across all divisions are given the opportunity to grow both personally and career-wise, ensuring not only a solid succession plan in all areas of business, but rewarding and fulfilling careers for individuals.