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September 2011 -Priceless Problem-Solving at Pick ‘n Pay
It is true that Literacy and Communication Training has occupied much of the attention in Education and Training in South Africa over the last 10 years. And we should continue to strive for improved communication because it is the key connection in human beings that leads to personal and career success. But according to Paula Whitaker, director of Business Development for Triple E Training, Mathematics is severely underrated in the country. The fact that so many people have not acquired Maths skills is to the detriment of both employees and employers.
“Mathematics is the tool we use to deal with abstract concepts because our brains need something concrete to understand something “in the air.” Its power is limitless in promoting skills such as reasoning, interpreting, analyzing, deducing, inferring, counting, interpreting graphically, thinking and problem-solving,” says Whitaker. “People who do not have Mathematical skills, even basic ones, are at a severe disadvantage. At the bottom of almost every concept is Mathematics. Training your teams in these skills, gives you immediate advantages. A thinking workforce is a successful one. Ask Pick ‘n Pay in Pinetown because they can vouch for this!”
What an inspiring vibe greeted the Project Manager on his latest visit to Pick ‘n Pay’s Adult Education and Training Mathematics Class. We have had a long association with Pick ‘n Pay in the Eastern Cape and it has been fantastic to meet up with the rest of the stores and Hypermarkets for training and development.
What is immediately evident in this class is the confidence in and positive attitude that each learner has towards Mathematics. The learners were so proud to show their Project Manager their skills and progress that they actually displayed it on the board! Their examples included decimals, percentages, fractions and solving mathematical problems. These problems were solved as a team and in fact started a debate on the most effective way of solving the particular problems. The Project Manager believes that part of the learners’ success is the facilitator Jospehine Mabula’s approach to Mathematics. She is positive about the worth of Maths in life and sets out to show all her learners its massive benefits.
Congratulations Pick ‘n Pay learners. Keep solving those problems.
The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple.
S. Gudder
