New order for BANKSETA Council

The BANKSETA has appointed Eugene Ebersohn as its new Council chairperson. As Sipho Ngidi’s tenure as BANKSETA chairperson ends, he has handed over the reins to the finance union SASBO’s assistant general-secretary, who has also practised labour relations after completing his studies at the University of Pretoria. was asked to fill the role.

Ebersohn, a veteran financial boffin, has 17 years’ experience within the finance sector, which include 14 with SASBO.

“It is an honour to be elected as chairperson of the BANKSETA Council, particularly since I believe the BANKSETA is the most successful Seta [sector education and training authority] in the country. There are also other Setas that are doing very well, but the BANKSETA has consistently provided exceptional service to the sector. So, for my colleagues in Council to elect me, was indeed an honour,” Ebersohn reveals.

Ebersohn attributes the BANKSETA’s success to a common understanding that much effort to transform the sector is supported by business and the union. “The banks also committed senior executives to serve on the BANKSETA Council, while at the same time, both the union and management accepted their role at the Seta. Our roles were never clouded by our different ideological differences. We have always worked together as a unit for the better of the sector and its employees,” he explains.

Ebersohn says the BANKSETA Council is fortunate that the Seta has “a fantastic management team”: “As Council, we are comfortable to leave the day-to-day operations in their capable hands.”

He says the BANKSETA has been able to meet very specific needs in the banking and microfinance sector through special projects. He cites as a major achievement the BANKSETA’s consistently high pay-out rate for mandatory grants, and the fact that the Seta consistently has obtained a five-out-of-five rating from the Department of Labour.

While the areas of focus of a Seta may change with the move to the Department of Higher Education and Training, Ebersohn says the sector’s requirements remain a priority: “I believe the BANKSETA should continue to look at special projects and ways to assist the sector, and the development of skills needs in the country.”

Turning to challenges in the year ahead, he says the greatest one that Setas face is clarity regarding the future Seta landscape: “We are, however, excited about the future direction that the new ministry may have for Setas, but until then, it is business as usual for the BANKSETA.”

BANKSETA has enjoyed another very successful year. It achieved 120% of the service level agreement targets set by the Department of Labour, reinforcing the belief of chief executive officer Max Makhubalo, that “the BANKSETA remains a Seta that its stakeholders can bank on”.

Over the past nine years, 51 learnerships have been registered and 16 217 learners have been signed onto BANKSETA learnerships. Of these, 7 989 were existing employees and 8 228 learners were previously unemployed.

The BANKSETA is required to establish and support provincial Centres of Excellence in accordance with the National Skills Development Strategy 2005-2010. The establishment of these centres nationally serves to extend the provincial reach of the BANKSETA, and also seeks to build the capacity of previously disadvantaged education and training institutions. Consequently, the chosen Centre of Excellence should render deliverables with regard to education and training to correspond with the strategic objectives of the BANKSETA.

Ultimately, the interventions receiving funding and support seek to alleviate poverty and unemployment within the province and country.