Page 10 - AMIE Newsletter August 2024

AMIE ACADEMY Academy
BREAKING NEW GROUND
transformation for sustainable trade
The AMIE Academy was launched in July 2023. Our first 12-month cohort started in November 2023 and has just completed their “Business Bootcamp” - entrepreneurial skills curriculum. The development programme also received a clean bill of health as part of AMIE’s 12-month Statutory Levy Report to the NAMC.
WHAT MAKES THIS PROGRAMME SPECIAL?
The AMIE Academy is the first training programme aimed specifically at training and equipping previously disadvantaged individuals interested in meat and poultry trading. It is an in-depth 12-month programme that ensures the fundamental skills that an entrepreneur needs are transferred through an online curriculum with a business coach on stand-by.
Our current candidates are now getting ready for critical industry-specific training. This part of the curriculum is brand new and unique to the Academy: Compliance and Regulatory requirements for businesses wishing to import or export meat or poultry products. The theory of this section will be demonstrated through a number of industry immersions, simulations and other practical interventions.
BUSINESS ASSESSMENTS
Phase 5 or the “Advanced Phase” has also been activated with the goal of assessing our candidates’ business, doing a thorough gap analysis and to design interventions that will help them become ready for investment, linkages into Enterprise Supplier Development (ESD) and procurement networks.
PROGRAMME PHASES
Phase 1: Identifying entrepreneurs
Phase 2: Business Boot-camp
Phase 3: Introduction to the Import / Export Sector
Phase 4: Hands-on Experience
Phase 5: Advanced Phase: Enterprise Supplier Development through business, access to markets & procurement linkages and access to finance. This phase run in parallel with Phase 2 - 4 to ensure maximum benefit to SME’s development. In this phase we assess business readiness for investment and growth to deliver on our commitment under the Statutory Levy regulations: Developing successful ESD in our industry.
AMIE member involvement and benefits:
Level 1
Nominate and support a candidate with time and infrastructure (no direct cost, but indirect cost in terms of hours etc.)
Level 2
Nominate a candidate and contribute 10% of the total amount of that candidate’s total programme fees (Appr R3 000 per candidate)
Level 3
Contributes to the AMIE Academy Fund (a third-party managed fund that would be an additional income stream and fund for specialist development activities.)
Applications for 2024/25 close end September
Benefits
The entire ESD development programme is managed and provision made of an auditable and claimable Portfolio of Evidence (POE) ready for review by the Verification Agent (VA) (this would include onboarding and compliance documents, POE’s, evaluations, audit reports, certificates of completion etc.)
The same as level 1 + POE extras: Further documentation of activities, proof of candidate involvement, certificates of completion etc.
A case-by-case project, depending on the contribution and the specific ESD needs of a member. The base benefits are a hassle-free ESD solution where documentation and portfolios of evidence are compiled and ready for review plus specific support to draft procurement and enterprise and supplier development (PESD) strategies and support the development of associated policies and procedures which will inform a recommendation for members PESD annual budgets.
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