KFC empowers staff with nationally recognised qualifications

Graduates from the ceremony | Image supplied

The Streetwise Academy, launched by KFC in 2021 to address skills development and increase opportunities in a sector not typically associated with formal education, equips team members as supervisors, managers, operations specialists and human resources officers.

The qualifications it awards are accredited by the Services Sector Education and Training Authority.

The Streetwise Academy also offers fast-food services leaderships, and the 87 young people who have taken advantage of the structured training programme in previous years have all found employment within KFC.

Milestone

Nolo Thobejane, chief people and transformation officer at KFC, says the graduation ceremony at the University of Johannesburg is a milestone for KFC and shows the way forward for skills development and the creation of economic opportunities.

“We’re proud to be the first quick service restaurant (QSR) group in South Africa offering NQF-certified courses to team members. But the greatest reward for our investment in the Streetwise Academy is seeing people’s potential being unlocked by education,” says Thobejane.

“Courses at the Streetwise Academy open up career paths in hospitality, retail and beyond, but they also help to make KFC the employer of choice in the QSR sector. I am delighted that the Streetwise Academy addresses all of these.”

The Streetwise Academy’s class of 2023 was the biggest yet, with more than 200 KFC team members enrolling for eight courses offered in partnership with Ziyana Business Consulting & Training. The courses are conducted online and last 12 months (NQF 3-5) or 24 months (NQF 6-8). KFC meets all the costs.

‘We can do more’

The academy was established in 2021 when a KFC regional general manager shared the dream of wearing a cap and gown and the company started thinking about how it could support the individual in fulfilling this ambition.

“This conversation happened in the presence of my predecessor, Akhona Qengqe (now KFC Africa general manager), and she took the idea and ran with it,” says Thobejane.

“The fact that our courses are aligned with the requirements of two Setas and the NQF is key, but apart from technical skills, we believe the leadership lessons embodied in the training are vital. Among the graduates on 24 October will be many of KFC Africa’s future leaders.”

Thobejane says the Streetwise Academy is an expression of KFC’s cultural values, which advocate investment in people, modernisation of the workforce and winning the war for talent. “And we firmly believe that to win on our customer experience, we must prioritise employee experience.

“The academy is not only about skills; it’s also a way for KFC to have a social impact, to drive gender parity and pay parity, and it allows every student to accelerate their career path.”

The aim now is to deepen the impact of the academy by increasing student numbers every year. Applications for the next intake open in January 2025 and Thobejane expects many of the October graduates to re-enrol for a higher qualification.

“We’ve seen the education bug bite, and with it the realisation that they can go further in their careers than they previously imagined,” she says.

Thobejane and Qengqe will be joined by the University of Johannesburg vice-chancellor professor Letlhokwa Mpedi for the presentation of certificates at the graduation ceremony.

Investing in the whole child

So far, 87 learners have experienced the Streetwise Academy’s learnerships in previous years. All of them have subsequently obtained employment with KFC and 40% of them have advanced to management positions.

Over 24 classroom days, learners get a grounding in food preparation and cooking, health and safety, food service, food storage and stock management, customer care, effective working relationships and personal development.

“This learnership, which is accredited by the Services SETA, also leads to an NQF qualification. That means it gives everyone who completes it an edge when looking for a job,” says Thobejane. “By offering it, KFC is playing its part in combating unemployment.

“We’re delighted that all the young people who have completed the learnership have found employment with us, with many achieving rapid promotion, but the qualification also helps students wherever they seek work in our industry.”

The learnerships are part of KFC’s wider investment in the whole child. Add Hope, which works through a collaborative effort between KFC and its customers, provides more than 80,000 nutritious meals a day, on average, to hungry and malnourished children nationwide. This year, it passed the R1bn fundraising milestone.

KFC Mini Cricket, the country’s largest grassroots sports programme, gives 120,000 girls and boys between the ages of three and 12 the opportunity to be active.

And Ikusasa Lethu scholarships provide access to quality education for children who are Add Hope beneficiaries or whose parents work in KFC restaurants.