Skills Development:

ARB recognises the value of fostering an inspiring environment to ensure that each staff member is given the opportunity to achieve his/her maximum potential.  An on-going career promotion programme ensures that each staff member is afforded an equal opportunity to grow through business administration, management and commercial courses funded by the Group.

In addition, ARB provides study loans to qualifying employees to further their education. ARB is not only committed to the on-going training of employees, but to life skills teaching as well. To date, ARB has held training in the following areas: Basic computer skills, health & safety, product knowledge, finance, sales & customer care, managerial techniques, personal development, Primary healthcare, and HIV/AIDS awareness and life orientation.

Corporate Social Investment:

ARB is committed to socio-economic development and empowerment of the local communities in which it operates. The Group actively supports a number of initiatives aimed at improving living conditions which include supporting underprivileged schools, orphanages, shelters and HIV/AIDS programmes. Organisations which benefited directly from the ARB Electrical Wholesalers Group’s CSI programmes during the past year included:

- Ithemba Projects:

A non-profit organisation which aims at shaping the future generation of the impoverished communities in which they work. ARB’s contribution to Ithemba’s education upliftment project assisted not only in delivering the learning programmes (from school readiness to vital life skills programmes) in the schools, but also in the renovation of the school facilities.

- The Domino Foundation:

A non-profit organisation that creates essential structures geared to meet the needs of the vulnerable and impoverished in communities.  The Domino effect is achieved through focused interventions which include: the babies’ home, feeding programmes, early childhood development programmes and the life skills programmes.

- The Robin Hood Foundation:

A non-profit organisation that aims to mobilize resources from businesses and individuals to poor grannies and needy mums in disadvantaged communities.

The Robin Hood Foundation has four major projects which run during the course of each year, namely:

Gogo Bags: Supplying bags of groceries to grannies and orphan headed households.
Child Headed Households: Assisting orphaned children affected by the Aids pandemic, who are caring for their siblings.

Love the Babies: Supplying bags of unwanted and used baby clothes and goods to needy mums with new-born babies in poor Aids affected communities.

Bless a Granny & Grandpa: Elderly “forgotten” folk at old age homes are given a wrapped gift at Christmas, Valentines, and Mothers & Father’s Day containing toiletries and treats and sweets.

- Learnership Programme:

ARB Electrical Wholesalers also offer a learnership programme that provides opportunities to unemployed school leavers from a disadvantages background. During the year we supported:

Forty five disabled black learners. The learnership programme runs for a thirteen month period during which the learners receive formal training in accredited programmes, depending on the nature of the disability. Most recent learners included:  twenty three domestic services learners, eight hygiene & cleaning learners, and fourteen business practices learners. For the duration of the programme we pay each learner a monthly stipend.

On successful completion of the course, each learner receives a completion bonus from ARB as well as a NQF1 General Education and Training Certificate. In the past, over eighty learners have completed the programme and we look forward to many more to come.