Wally Fry, co-founder of Fry’s, says, “Our philosophy of helping our staff reach their full potential, which in turn increases their standard of living is vitally important. As a successful South African company, we have a duty to ensure all our staff are empowered to change their lives and be the best they can be. We are honoured by this acknowledgment. It is a definite indication of the company’s ethos of respect for all living beings - humans and animals.”
Fry’s Family Foods has run an active and successful learnership programme for four years under the stewardship of its training manager, Duncan Player. The programme has seen 342 staff members successfully increase their expertise, knowledge and experience in areas such as quality management, operations, production management, warehousing, dispatch management and more.
“We are very proud of our programme. The whole system was designed to empower people in a way that is practically meaningful,” says Player.
Florence Ngwenya, one of Fry’s Quality Administrators reaching the end of the programme, speaks of how the training has tangibly changed her career path. “I was a factory operator before I started the programme and because the company believed in me I am now part of mid-level management studying Total Quality Management through UNISA. It completely changed my outlook on life and has empowered me to believe I can strive for more. The company believed that its people are instrumental in its drive for best quality and I am proud to be a part of that process.”
Caroline Garnett, Fry’s Family Foods GM and CFO, adds, “Being recognised as one of the top Medium Sized Companies in on-the-job training is a great achievement. Training is such an important area of our business to both ensure that our standards remain at the high standards set by the co-founders of the business as well as to ensure that our staff members are given opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills. We are thrilled with this accolade.”
Fry’s Family Foods is South Africa’s leading vegan food company with the mantra: ‘Through my personal choices and actions, I can help change the world’. It operates with the ethos of principles over profits and exports its products to over 27 countries around the world.
