Managers flex their wings at Technical School

You can have the best product and the best strategy, but it’s the skill, passion and knowledge of your team that really make you fly. In the Chicken Agriculture space, one of the ways we’re giving our team wings is through our very own RCL FOODS Consumer Agric Technical School. For the group of managers that attended the second round of the school this March, it was just the boost they needed to make MORE IMPACT through improved knowledge and stronger relationships.

A year ago, the Chicken Agric team took the brave step of introducing its very own “technical school” to bring world-leading knowledge and expertise within reach of the people who run our chicken business every day. It was styled on the prestigious World Technical School which Cobb-Vantress (owner of the Cobb 500 breed of chicken which we use) runs annually to keep their customers up to date with the latest best practice in chicken agriculture.

Connecting people with the best knowledge

As owner of the Cobb South Africa business, we wanted to connect more of our people with the latest knowledge while giving them a chance to connect with and learn from each other – and so the RCL FOODS Consumer Agric Technical School was born. After launching it to our senior leaders in March 2018, we went on to open it up to even more RCL FOODS employees this March. The result was that 31 managers were invited this year, along with two management trainees.

Innovation in the Chicken Industry

Presenters from Cobb South Africa and Cobb Europe (including Brendan Graaf, who recently joined Cobb Europe from RCL FOODS) gave presentations on aspects of the chicken supply chain and the latest technology and innovations in the industry. They also led a number of fascinating case studies at the local vet lab, allowing delegates to put their new knowledge into practice.   

Laying the foundation for MORE IMPACT

Our Director of Chicken Agriculture, Dr Sanjay Maharaj, sees the RCL FOODS Consumer Agric Technical School as a key learning opportunity for the agric operation. “It is part of an integrated approach to develop our employees at all levels in both the technical and leadership skills required in the business – and the school adds an important relational aspect which enables our people to learn from each other as they share experiences and insights. We will continue to run this programme each year to ensure that all our key decision makers are empowered with the knowledge to optimise their units’ performance and grow their own talent and presence in the business,” he explains.

With our Technical School and other HR development programmes in Chicken Agric gaining momentum (such as our Agric Academy, our Management Trainee Programme and our In-Service Training Programme), we can’t wait to see our people to flex their wings and make MORE IMPACT. (And more to crow about…so watch this space!)