Career Development
The group is committed to exploring new ways to reinforce its culture of being a Learning Organization.
Employees are provided with development opportunities that allow them to grow personally and professionally. A variety of comprehensive, tailored training interventions are conducted within all trading and services divisions. Existing initiatives include dynamic leadership interventions; study sponsorships, a graduate trainee programme, internships, technical training programmes for Store staff, Merchants and Field managers and generic courses for all employees.
The diversity and number of group brands and companies provide excellent opportunities for employees, as movement and promotion between companies is a common and encouraged practice. Our dynamic curriculum aims to encourage collaboration across the Group’s companies and functions. Our development philosophy encourages self motivation, accountability, engagement and a desire to want to learn. Where individuals are ready and are eager to learn, we will assist them to Rise and ShineTM in our organisation.
Our high performance culture encourages individuals to continually evaluate their performance, benchmarking themselves against best practice and ensuring more effective and efficient ways of doing things. Our performance management philosophy underpins our talent development approach. Targets and objectives are discussed and set for each employee in March of every year and progress reviewed six months later. Developmental needs are identified and individual training plans are put into place. These plans are then consolidated into the annual Workplace Skills Plan for the Group.
Skills development is seen as one of the key components of the Groups process of Talent Management. This is a critical function in view of the prevailing shortage of skills in South Africa and the intense competition which takes place to attract and retain talented employees.
The Group is registered with the Wholesale and Retail Seta as well as (in the case of Foschini Group Financial Services), the Services Seta and was awarded a National Skills Development Award by the Minister of Labour. This award not only recognizes the group’s compliance with all skills legislation but also the quality of training and development provided for all staff.