During the year we launched our refreshed strategy, lifting off to orbit on a journey to greatness. We understand that in order to achieve greatness, we must attract, develop and retain talented employees. This is critical to deliver our strategy and for our journey to obit.

We aim to provide an opportunity for employees to be part of a purposeful organization where employees can add value through doing meaningful work.

• We recognize the value of our employees with fair and responsible remuneration
• We continue to invest in training and development enabling a more specialized and knowledgeable workforce

Skills development is a key component of in our strategy. It is fundamental to enabling transformation, as well as up skilling and advancing our people. To maximise the impact of our strategy and to ensure the quality of our current and future talent, we have adopted a multi-faceted approach to skills development.

Our programmes, which are delivered in partnership with institutions of learning, are offered across different levels of work to prepare our talent for future career progression and enable them to operate at the next level of work and to retain our top talent.

The Diamonds Programme

The company embarked on a journey to develop our future leaders, hence the launch of Diamond programme. Twelve high performing individuals were selected through a comprehensive selection criteria. The aim is to develop a team of leaders who are agile, adaptable, who inspire, motivate, and guide others to produce tangible results, leaders who mentor and challenge the workforce and who demonstrate high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect. Leaders that are committed to the success of Crookes Brothers. The selected individuals are set to go through all 4 stages a Diamond goes through before it reaches the market. This will be accomplished in a three year period of unlearning, learning and relearning.

The Diamonds will be examined to determine how we can extract the greatest value from each Diamond and plans will be formulated to get the greatest value from each individual, they will be polished, molded and repolished if necessary. In preparations for the final stage of the programme where they will be ready to take up leadership roles, leading in implementing our strategy and driving the company to greater heights.

The Platinum Programme

One of the important aspects of developing a high-performing culture is providing learning interventions to all levels of the organization’s hierarchy. We have 43 line managers that will initially go through the programme. To ensure that our leaders work hand in hand with Human Capital in taking care of our people, and grow the business from good to great.

Study Assistance

The Company provides assistance to employees who study at tertiary institutions towards qualifications that strengthen their current role within the Company and increase their skill set to improve their role and responsibility within the Company.

Youth Empowerment Programme

Our Youth Empowerment Programme aims to tackle youth unemployment through skills development.We believe skills development can help in reducing unemployment in the country.

We provide an opportunity to 10 learners with disabilities every year in partnership with Khulisani Academy. An opportunity for learners with disabilities to get quality education in line with their unique needs and enabling them to join the employment market. We strongly believe skills development can help in reducing unemployment. Thereby helping to alleviate poverty. This is done through the Plant Production learnership programme which incorporates business practices enabling the learners to start their own agri-businesses.

Upon completion the learners are able to take responsible decisions based on a sound understanding of the basic principles of an agri-business and good agricultural practices, in meeting the set objectives and targets within the broader farm plan which includes the economical application of general resources, agricultural production and technical knowledge and skills, within the Plant Production context. With this kind of knowledge the learners are able to start their own agri-businesses.

The Group has sourced the services of a training and development provider to provide a recognition of prior learning programme for its managers to acquire an acceptable tertiary qualification level with specific reference to a National Diploma in Plant Production.

The Group has recently launched its own Online Learning Academy to encourage a culture of learning and development amongst its own employees.In keeping with CBL’s objective to improve its learning culture, we managed to roll out the online academy to the whole group. The platforms offers over 150 courses which staff members can use to hone their skills.