December 2011 - INSETA

INSIDERNovember 2011ISSUE 1: WORKING TOGETHER FOR A SKILLED TOMORROWContentsBurial Society Indaba music to the earsINSETA assists in FAIS exam prepInternship programmes respond to insurance sector employment needsINSETA honours National Disability Award winners

Burial Society Indaba musicto the ears“Burial societies are one of the tools thathave ensured that the collective spirit of ourcommunities continue to thrive,” said DeputyMinister of the Department of Trade andIndustry, Elisabeth Thabethe, key-note speakerat the recently held INSETA Burial SocietyIndaba 2011.The indaba which followed on the success of 2010’s inauguralevent, was held at the Turffontein Race Course and provedan inspiring occasion, with a collective spirit of co-operationand passion for the industry palpable throughout. The two-dayevent covered a wide range of interesting and weighty topics,highlighted important facts regarding the state of the sector,and gave those present a chance to engage with governmentand key industry role-players around the future of the industry.“It was clear from the beginning that this was going to bea very interesting and exciting event. While the issues underdiscussion were very serious, and sometimes even contentious,one could see that despite some opposing opinions, the eventwas going to be conducted with decorum, and even more sowith the joyous spirit of community that burial societies areknown for,” said INSETA CCO, Sharon Snell.Areas covered included the effect that the proposed microinsurancelegislation could have on the burial society industry,potential skills development within burial societies, the meritsfor burial societies registration as co-operatives, and thepotential for economic empowerment of burial societies.COO, Sharon Snell, right with CEO, Sandra DunnDifferent stakeholders from the industry addressed theaudience on these matters, and commissions were formedto further discuss them and allow interaction, feedback andparticipation.A discussion especially close to the assembled burial societymembers’ hearts was what effects these factors would haveon the spirited essence of community found in burial societies.“The regulations are not being developed to try to removethe benefits that burial societies offer to their members, butto rather remove the unscrupulous elements,” said INSETACEO, Sandra Dunn.“This is also why we urge these societies to register as cooperatives,which offer more freedom of operation, while stillformalising their actions, and so allowing strategy to informaction. We believe both the players within the industry andthe public will benefit from the establishment of a properworking framework,” she said.To celebrate this fact, an award ceremony was held at the eventwhere 39 burial societies were presented with certificatesfrom INSETA acknowledging their licensing as co-operatives.Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe’s stirring speech onthe importance of burial societies, summed up the essenceof the event when she said that: “We have a responsibilityin ensuring that informal enterprises become the tools ofeconomic emancipation in the hands of the majority…Therise of burial societies and stokvels into the mainstream ofthe economy will tell the story of ordinary citizens who havetransformed a sector that was peripheral yet significant tothe majority of our people’s socio-economic empowerment.”BUSOSA Youth ChoirMari van Rooyen, CEO of the Forum for Assistance Business(FAB), was extremely grateful to INSETA for the work thatwent into the indaba. “My sincerest thanks to Sandra, Sharonand the team. It was an amazing opportunity to interact, learnand gain a better understanding of this part of our industry. FABis committed to working closer with BUSOSA and SAFOBS inthe new year, and we trust that together we will be able toimpact positively on this industry as a whole. Thank-you for thevery active role that INSETA is playing in our industry!”-2-

INSETA assists in FAIS exam prepThe FAIS Act has come under fire recently, as many of those in the finance sector required topass the regulatory exams have advised that the deadlines imposed are too short, and that thequestions asked in the exams themselves are overcomplicated.In response to this, INSETA recently held three seminarsacross South Africa to help people in the insurance industryprepare for the FAIS exams; and to make the training materialavailable to all stakeholders.In order to assist people in the industry in their preparations,when the Financial Services Board (FSB) initially announcedthe regulatory exams, INSETA commissioned a providerto prepare learning material on all the FAIS regulatoryexaminations, available through both the INSETA andFSB websites.“The seminars have proven a useful opportunity for INSETAto make the legislation and training material available tostakeholders who have not been able to access it from thewebsites, as well as proving useful in spreading awarenessof the material. INSETA is doing everything it can to assiststakeholders to pass the exam,” said Sandra Dunn.The seminars included instructions to delegates on methodsto read and interpret legislation and a presentation onexamination preparation techniques. They discussed thestructuring of the exam questions, as well as the types ofquestions that might come up in the exams.The feedback from the seminars has been positive. BrendaGreen of Peter Dirksen Insurance Brokers said that attendingthe workshop held at the Elangeni Hotel in Durban enabledher to pass her exams. “It was a fantastic workshop; I foundthe INSETA books easier to understand and to follow thanothers that are available in the market. I am now going toattempt the exam for Key Individuals and will definitely beusing the INSETA material,” she said.Multiple venues and different methods of writing the exam,including an electronic exam option, have been put in place tohelp ensure exam efficiency.Internship programmes responds to insurancesector employment needsIn 2009 an article posted in The Insurance Junction stated that “statistics show that the South Africaninsurance industry rates third in the overall number of industries in terms of skills shortage.”The Sector Skills Plan, released in the same year, revealed thatdespite higher graduation rates in recent years, the quality andappropriate qualifications of graduates entering the industryremains poor.Athi Nosikhanyiso Ntshiba (INDWE)Giel Muller (INDWE CEO)The general consensus is that often graduates do not performto expectation, or are unable to meet skills requirements.In response to this, INSETA has taken a proactive step bydeveloping a far-reaching internship programme aimed atsupporting work-based experience and helping the sector to“grow its own skills”.INSETA provides grants to businesses to enable unemployedgraduates to gain one year’s workplace experience, or anopportunity to practice the work skills that they have studiedand will practice in the future, in their chosen occupations.“Graduates leave tertiary institutions with technical training,but no experience, and therefore struggle to find employment.These internships help them gain experience and opportunityfor employment. Further to this, the insurance industry gainsthe skilled professionals that it is in such desperate need of,”said Sharon Snell, COO of INSETA.Vivienne Delaney, senior manager of Internships/Training andDevelopment at Indwe Risk said “we’re growing new talent, andlaying the foundation for amazing careers in financial services.”-3-

INSETA honoursNational DisabilityAward winnersThe INSETA National Disability Awards, held inJohannesburg on 2 December to coincide withInternational Day of Persons with Disabilities on3 December, saw the announcement of winnersin five categories, and sent a clear message thatpeople with disabilities are making a majorcontribution to the South African workplaceand economy.INSETA CEO Sandra Dunn said that with every year, thegala event has improved in scope and exposure. “Personswith disability can add valuable skills and experience to theworkplace, but companies still don’t have an adequate ratio.The awards help to raise awareness of the potential forthe workforce. And we do have reason to celebrate, astremendous strides have been made with more than 10%of all new entrants into the Learnerships and internshipsbeing disabled.”In the category National Disability Company (for organisationsthat have created opportunities for people withdisabilities), joint Awards went to Netcare and SanlamLimited. Sanlam Limited was honoured in this category forFrom left: Doug Anderson, Karabo Nguyuza, Deputy MinisterHendrietta Ipeleng Bogopane-Zulu, Sandra Dunn andSerurubele Kgaswana.their activeness in providing learnerships for unemployeddisabled learners.The National Business Leader award (for persons withdisabilities who have achieved in the workplace), honouredMartin Trevor Brown of Radical Mobility.Dunn commented: “I believe with theseAwards we have encouraged the further effortsof everyone in South Africa, able bodied ordisabled, to challenge the prejudices that stillpersist in our country.”The Young Leader category (for young persons between theages of 18-25 who have displayed great potential in theirstudies or in the workplace), honoured Karabo Nguyuzaof Etana. The Champion Award honoured the amazingCharlene Sunkel.More from the 2011INSETA Burial society IndabaLeft: Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe (DTI), Burial Societyrepresentative, Sandra Dunn and Serurubele Kgaswane (DHET).The INSETA team-4-