The 2005 CIETT conference, hosted by APSO and held at the prestigious ICC in Cape Town was a resounding success. The conference was very well-attended and the 400 delegates were from as far afield as the USA, France, Japan and even Poland. South African delegates made up the bulk of the attendees and included employees from the
large agencies as well as smaller owner-managed companies.

The programme of events was very full and the speaker line up was very impressive and included an array of topics relevant to our industry. The main conference began with an interesting discussion on the recipe for developing the South African economy in order to successfully complete in the global market and was followed up by a
fascinating case-study of changing business trends, after the first 10 years of democracy, in the Pick ‘n Pay group, presented by Gareth Ackerman, Chairman of Pick ‘n Pay holdings and son of founder Raymond Ackerman. Many of the examples of advertising used by the retail group over the past 30 years sent waves of nostalgia through the local audience.

The political perspective was highlighted by Patricia De Lille who received much recognition by local and international delegates alike when she commented that true empowerment of people is only achieved when those people secure a job - a sure sign that our industry has a very strong part to play in the reformation of our country. Dr. Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert followed with a serious, yet entertaining, look at the impact political transformation has on the temporary employment service.

After a fabulous luncheon the delegates returned to be educated on the Emotional Commitment to the World of Work. The most interesting statistic to come out of this research was that the Company itself plays the largest role in determining an
employee’s probability to being highly committed and productive. The survey results have determined that every 10% improvement in company commitment can increase an employee’s effort level by 6%.

Brad Mears brought to the attention of the delegates the severe impact that HIV/AIDS has on productivity and employment in South Africa and, in particular, temporary employment services. He called up our industry to be committed to working together to help develop policies and procedures to address the issue of HIV/AIDS and to assist our employees in managing and preventing this disease.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in a panel discussion that included some of the industry’s top players. The panel was made up of Tunde Johnson (Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer Adecco), John Botha (MD Global Business Solutions), Viv Van Vuuren (Chief Operations Officer, Business Unity South Africa) Nelius Swart (Adcorp Holdings) and Chez Milani (Chairman of FEDUSA). The Casualisation of Labour was the main issue under discussion and it was hotly debated. Many of the answers given by the panel members helped delegates to better understand the perceived threats to our industry and also give us hope that our industry, and in particular APSO, can provide solutions rather than being the source of the problem.

The gala dinner was extremely well attended and additional tables were squeezed in to accommodate the extra guests. Guests were treated to a sumptuous meal and were entertained by “The Cousin”. As usual Barry Hilton had the audience in stitches and many a guest had to avoid their mascara running from the tears of laughter. The party continued well into the early hours when the guests danced to the distinctly African sound of X. Independent Newspapers must be thanked for their generous sponsorship and I’m sure that all guests would agree that they put on a fantastic spread.

Day Two began with an address by Tunde Johnson on the burning issue of Casulisation of Labour. He began by explaining how many countries in Europe have experienced this phenomenon and how they have dealt with it. His address, whilst serious, was very positive and provided promises of assistance.

Clem Sunter, Fund Chairman of Anglo American SA, spoke about the Games Foxes Play, and had the audience in stitches. His unique look at strategic planning and planning for extraordinary times was both entertaining and educational.

John Botha, an active member of APSO and part of the CAPES team, spoke to the audience on Temporary Employment Services and labour legislation and how this has changed over the first decade of democracy. As always, John manages to make a usually tedious topic interesting and easy to understand.

Many of the APSO members broke away during the CIETT General Assembly and attended talks by local speakers. The topics were varied and yet pertinent to the recruitment industry. Keith Coats educated us about Minding the Gap and showed us why we often misunderstand our parents, grandparents and children. Once you
understand that we are all speaking a different language it makes it easier to find the common ground and eliminate miscommunication.

Demitri Tambourlas encouraged us not to be The Weakest Link and showed us what it takes to be a survivor in the stressful recruitment industry. Earlier in the day, Karen Dellar showed us how to RPL recruitment consultants in a practical manner and Ginette Vertenten spoke of the increasing challenges of casualisation of labour.

After lunch Richard Wahlquist, President and CEO of the American Staffing Association, addressed the audience on the impact of the recruitment industry in the USA. He illustrated the ups and downs experienced by the industry and once again the audience was left with positive thoughts and the determination to make a success of the industry within South Africa. Richard highlighted the importance of an industry body like APSO and congratulated Simon Ridge and his team for the hard work they have put into increasing the membership and encouraging people within the recruitment industry to
act in a professional manner that uplifts the image of our industry.

Shaun Schwanzer closed the conference with his discussion on the Developments in HR Act and how it will impact our industry.

All in all the conference was an enormous successes and a BIG thank you must go out to Bev Jack and her team for the many hours behind the scenes organizing the event. The success of the conference and the compliments received by both local and international delegates is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the APSO committee who spent many, unpaid hours, ensuring that the South African recruitment industry could hold its own with the best in the world.