New professional body to support South African wine industry workforce

Source: Couleur via Pixabay

"SAWIPB was established to develop people and support industry-related entities to ensure social sustainability," says Kachné Ross, people, and skills development manager at South Africa Wine.

"The Professional Body is mandated to grow the competency base of the industry’s workers by means of voluntary association, which is formalised with specific designations. With this initiative, we aim to maintain knowledge and skills to perform optimally, to help workers remain up to date with new technology, regulations, and industry trends and to inform decision processes aimed at growing the industry."

In its mandate to support the development of people in the South African wine industry, SAWIPB has four specific functions:

• To inform industry-specific people development initiatives,
• Designate individuals,
• Promote participation in the professional body, and
• Build a support structure within the wine industry.

SAWIPB will promote the skills and competence of people in the industry’s four sub-sectors:

• Primary production,
• Secondary production,
• Tourism and marketing, and
• Logistics and distribution.

SAWIPB will also assist learning and development initiatives to address skills needs, monitor and address the equity targets in the industry, acknowledge worker potential, initiate and manage continuous professional development, and promote a professional code of conduct.

"I am extremely excited about this initiative," says Ross. "With launching the SAWIPB, the wine industry receives a customised all-in-one structure for people and career development.

"By being a member, people can follow a learning pathway that promotes their careers, they can be designated as industry professionals, they can apply for recognition of previous learning that contributes to obtaining designations and qualifications and they are part of a system that promotes ethical conduct and socially sustainable practices."

"South Africa Wine regards SAWIPB as a vital strategic asset that not only supports the industry’s people and skills development processes but also enables the transformation of the industry," says South Africa Wine CEO Rico Basson. Our people are what drives this industry, therefore we are committed to empowering them through career development."