A certificate is not a career

An employee completes a training course, receives a certificate and returns to work. What happens next? Can they apply what they have learnt? Are they more confident in their role? Can they take on new responsibilities? And has the business benefited?

These are the questions Kachné Ross, People Development Manager at South Africa Wine, believes deserve more attention. “We need to stop looking at training as the destination. A course is not a career pathway,” she says and a distinction worth considering in an industry where skills are developed in classrooms, vineyards, cellars and through years of working alongside experienced colleagues.

As technology changes how wine businesses operate, the challenge is not to provide more training, but to ensure that people can apply what they learn and continue developing as their jobs change.

What happens after the course?

Digital tools, data and new technologies are becoming part of more roles across the wine value chain. Knowing how to use a particular system is only part of the picture. Kachné believes employees will need to interpret information, solve problems and adapt to unfamiliar situations.

“The future will probably belong to people who can combine technical competence with the ability to learn, adapt and connect the dots,” she says.

And that has implications for employers. Introducing a new tool and sending employees on a one-off course does not necessarily mean they will be able to use it confidently in their daily work. People also need opportunities to practise, ask questions and build experience.

South Africa Wine and the South African Wine Industry Professional Body (SAWIPB) are working to strengthen the connection between learning, workplace experience and professional recognition.

Experience counts. But how do we recognise it?

Not everyone working in the wine industry has followed the same route into their profession.

Some have formal qualifications. Others have developed considerable expertise through years of practical experience. The challenge is to ensure that both forms of learning are appropriately recognised.

Recognition of prior learning can provide a route for people to have skills and knowledge gained through experience assessed against relevant requirements. It can help them establish what they already know and identify possible next steps in their development. The applicable process and requirements will depend on the recognition route concerned.

"There is an incredible amount of knowledge sitting in our vineyards, cellars, tasting rooms, businesses and institutions," Kachné says. "Making that expertise easier to share and recognise could help more people build careers within the industry."

Gerrie Grootboom of Roodezandt Cellars offers a practical example of learning in the workplace. He took part in the Cellar Assistant Programme, funded by South Africa Wine, to broaden his knowledge of the industry in which he works.

"The programme has made me more confident and has improved my productivity, skills and ability to solve problems. I believe workplace training should never be underestimated, as it can help you reach new heights. I am living proof of that. Through the programme, I have visited new places, made new friends and tasted wines from other regions and cellars. I am grateful for the support of the winemaker, production manager and my colleagues, who have all played a role in my development," he says.

Gerrie’s experience shows how training can strengthen an employee’s skills and confidence at work. His account also points to the role colleagues and managers play in supporting development. The next question is how employers can establish whether these experiences lead to lasting improvements in workplace performance.

Are we measuring the right things?

Training attendance is relatively easy to measure. So is the number of certificates issued. But neither necessarily tells an employer whether someone has become more capable. Kachné argues that development should be assessed by what happens afterwards. Can the employee perform a task they previously struggled with? Have they taken on greater responsibility? Can they apply new knowledge without constant assistance?

These questions also place responsibility on managers. Development cannot be left entirely to training departments. Employees need opportunities to use their skills, learn from experienced colleagues and understand how their work contributes to the business. And employees themselves need to take responsibility for continuing to learn.

“Skills development has to be about people, not programmes,” Kachné says.

The real test

No one can predict exactly which skills the wine industry will need in ten years. But businesses can start asking better questions about the skills they are developing today.

Rather than simply asking how many employees attended training, they can ask what those employees are now able to do.

Rather than treating experience and qualifications as competing forms of knowledge, they can consider how both contribute to professional competence. And rather than viewing development as an annual training requirement, they can make it part of everyday work.

The big questions? What can our people do better because of what they have learnt?

“Future readiness is not about trying to predict exactly what the wine industry will look like,” Kachné says. “It is about making sure people can adapt as the industry changes. We need to be building that capability before the need becomes urgent.”