CPA South Africa : Transformation and Training

Transformation & Training

CPA & F.I.L.M partner to promote training and transformation in the commercial sector

14 April 2010

The CPA is pleased to announce that we have entered into a partnership with F.I.L.M (Film Industry Learner Mentorship) a mentorship programme which has been running successfully in Cape Town over the last few years. (For more info on F.I.L.M. please view their website – www.filmsa.co.za)

As their remains an urgent need for progress on the training and transformation front, the idea is that the CPA and FILM partner in an initiative to mentor people who have some experience in the film industry and who wish to establish careers in the commercial sector.

All production companies are legally required to pay 1% of payroll as a “Skills Development Levy” – this money is forwarded to the relevant SETA (in our case the MAPPP-SETA) where it is used to facilitate skills transfer, training and mentorships. Most companies pay over SDL and think nothing of it but this is a wasted opportunity as all contributors to the fund are entitled to reclaim 50% of their contributions from the SETA. To do this, the company must submit a “Workplace Skills Plan” to the SETA – our observation, however, is that most production companies (particularly smaller ones) do not do this due to the perception that it is complicated and time consuming.

FILM has a special division which will submit a Workplace Skills Plan on behalf of all participating companies, thereby reclaiming half the company’s annual contribution. Although this may not seem like very much, it adds up considerably when the contribution of all companies is added together.

For example, If the commercial production sector have a combined payroll of R300 Million per year, the SDL contribution is R3 Million and half of this – R1,5 Million - can be re-claimed from the scheme.

The CPA and F.I.L.M have agreed that 75% of all SDL recovered from the SETA will be used to finance the placement of FILM’s trainees on commercials – this process will be managed on your behalf by F.I.L.M. which will provide the administrative infrastructure required to ensure that trainees acquire the necessary skills while working on commercial productions. 25% of the recovered SDL will go to F.I.L.M to fund the administration of the project. Please note that FILM is a Section 21 (Not for Profit) Company with financials open for annual review.

We encourage all companies to participate – the beauty of this scheme is that regardless of the size of your company or how much work you do, you are eligible to get money back from Government for training and skills development. By taking on just one trainee (who is properly managed and assessed) per job you will be contributing to the greater good and the future of our industry.

For more information, please contact Seaton Bailey or Sharon Bradshaw at FILM on 021 461 7950 or Bobby Amm at the CPA on 011 673 6809.