Coca-Cola Beverages partners with Henley Business School to upskill SMME suppliers

CCBSA managing director Velaphi Ratshefola and Linda Buckley, director for executive education at Henley Business School. Source: Supplied

The CCBSA-Henley Business School Supplier Development programme kicked off on 1 March 2023 at the Henley Business School.

The partnership will see 20 qualifying suppliers attend a 12-month programme at Henley Business School to obtain an NQF-8 Qualification, a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Practice Supplier Development Programme (PDiMPSD). The programme is targeted at suppliers who are at least 51% Black-owned enterprises, exempt micro-enterprises or qualifying small enterprises in line with the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Codes of Good Practice.

“We are proud to be able to offer our suppliers this qualification to help them develop their businesses further. Entrepreneurs are special in that they are willing to take risks, and through the knowledge acquired during the course, they will be able to enhance their service and goods offerings even further,” says CCBSA managing director, Velaphi Ratshefola.

Tools and knowledge to scale

By offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn additional and specialised business skills, CCBSA hopes they will be able to grow and expand their small and medium-sized businesses.

“Our plan is to assist our suppliers to upscale their businesses and grow their annual revenue by increasing their customer base, and in turn generate much needed employment and contribute to the growth of our economy,” Ratshefola adds.

Shoprite launches private label range sourced from local SMMEs

22 Feb 2023

Linda Buckley, director for executive education at Henley Business School, comments, “As an institution of higher learning with a footprint on the continent and presence in South Africa, our primary focus with a venture of this nature, is to ensure that small, micro, and medium enterprises can play a meaningful role in the mainstream economy. We are happy and excited to co-create opportunities that will go a long way towards improving small businesses and our country for the better.”

The course, which will be offered through online and face-to-face contact, includes Systematic Management Practice, Innovative Wealth Creation, Managing Value Streams and Synthesis and Integration among others.

It is open to advanced diploma and bachelor degree graduates, managers with three to four years of middle to senior management experience, technical or other specialists, as well as senior managers with no degree qualification but can register in line with the country’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).