BY GCWALISILE MHLABANE
SIMUNYE– The Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation (RES) has awarded 82 employees certificates under its Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme, opening new pathways to career advancement and permanent employment by recognising workplace experience as an alternative route towards meeting its Form Five qualification requirement.
The certificates were presented on Friday, 9 October 2026, at Thembelisha Hall in Simunye, marking another milestone in the company’s efforts to formally recognise the skills, knowledge and experience employees have acquired through years of practical work.
RES is the first company in Eswatini to introduce this type of programme, which gives employees who possess relevant workplace competencies but lack formal academic qualifications an opportunity to have their experience recognised.
The initiative enables qualifying employees to be considered for permanent employment, subject to the company’s requirements, addressing barriers faced by workers whose education may have been interrupted by family responsibilities or other circumstances.
Addressing employees during the ceremony, RES Managing Director Nick Jackson emphasised the importance of education while acknowledging that not everyone has the opportunity to complete formal schooling.
“Education is important, but not everyone gets the opportunity to go to school. Some people have to take care of their families, and that deprives them of the opportunity to complete their education,” Jackson said.
He explained that the company introduced the programme to recognise employees’ workplace experience and provide an alternative pathway towards meeting the qualification requirements for certain positions.
“The company introduced the programme to award certificates recognising employees’ experience, equivalent to Form Five.
“This opens opportunities for those who do not have a Form Five certificate but have the relevant job experience to be considered for permanent employment,” he said.
The programme acknowledges that valuable skills can be developed through practical experience, dedication and years of service, even when employees have not followed the conventional academic route.
First implemented in 2025, the initiative saw 81 employees receive certificates during its inaugural year. Of these, 13 secured permanent employment in 2026, demonstrating the programme’s potential to translate recognition of workplace experience into tangible career opportunities.
The latest group of 82 beneficiaries brings the total number of employees who have received certificates through the programme to 163 since its introduction.
For the beneficiaries, the certificates represent more than recognition of their skills. They offer renewed hope of accessing positions that may previously have been beyond their reach because they lacked the required formal qualifications.
Bongani Tfwala, an Agriculture General Labourer, described receiving his certificate as a deeply personal milestone, saying it made him feel as though he were celebrating his birthday.
He expressed happiness at having his workplace knowledge and experience formally recognised, adding that the certificate had renewed his hope of being considered for permanent employment.
For Tfwala, the award represented an opportunity to pursue career advancement and work towards a more secure future within the company.
Zodwa Dludlu, a General Labourer in the Factory Raw House, also expressed gratitude to Jackson and RES for introducing the programme, saying it demonstrated that the company was putting its commitment to employees into practice.
She drew a connection between the certificates and the message, “I am seen, I am heard and I am valued,” which had been sung across the company during the previous week’s culture feedback activities.
Dludlu said the message had become a reality for her and fellow beneficiaries because the programme demonstrated that their contributions and years of experience were being acknowledged.
She likened her experience to the biblical account in the Gospel of John of a man who had been ill for 38 years and waited at the Pool of Bethesda before Jesus changed his circumstances.
For Dludlu, the story reflected the long wait many employees had endured while hoping for an opportunity to improve their employment prospects. She viewed the certificate as a significant step towards fulfilling that aspiration.
Njabulo Dlamini, an Assistant at the Mhlume Conditioning Plant, said he was excited to receive the certificate because it would enable him to apply for positions within the company for which he might previously have been ineligible.
He said the recognition gave him an opportunity to compete for available positions and pursue permanent employment, expressing hope that his practical experience would receive due consideration.
Similarly, Nelisiwe Sibandze, a Water Resources Pump House Attendant, thanked Jackson and the company for introducing the initiative.
Sibandze said the opportunity made her feel that the company’s leadership understood her aspirations. She also acknowledged the support of her family, who had stood by her while she waited for an opportunity to improve her employment prospects.
Her experience highlighted the wider significance of the programme, as improved employment opportunities can also benefit the families who depend on workers for their livelihoods.
Through Recognition of Prior Learning, RES is providing employees with an opportunity to build on the knowledge and skills they have developed in the workplace while pursuing positions for which formal recognition of their competencies is required.
The initiative also allows the company to recognise the value of its existing workforce, whose familiarity with operational processes, workplace standards and production demands represents important institutional knowledge.
For employees whose education was interrupted by family responsibilities or other circumstances, the programme offers an alternative route to having their capabilities recognised and considered for career progression.
As the initiative continues, its impact will be measured not only by the number of certificates awarded but also by the opportunities it creates for employees to advance, secure permanent employment and build more stable futures for themselves and their families.
For the 82 employees who received their certificates on 9 October, the ceremony marked recognition of their practical experience and a new opportunity to pursue career advancement at RES.
(Courtesy Pic)
