Unlocking New Horizons: Penny Streeter OBE's Training Program at Benguela Cove 

As a hospitality business, having the right staff is a key factor in providing a great customer experience. Yet, finding and recruiting the right people can be a challenge, particularly when it comes to finding the right mix of skills and experience.  

One solution to this challenge is to take on unskilled staff and train them up to be hospitality staff. This approach can provide numerous benefits, from cost savings to a more diverse and engaged workforce. The first step to training unskilled staff is to assess their existing skills. This will help to identify any areas where they may need additional support. For example, some staff may need help with customer service skills, while others may require training in food safety and hygiene. Once you have identified the areas of training required, you can begin to plan your training program. This should include both theoretical and practical elements, such as role-playing and on-the-job shadowing. You should also make sure that staff are given plenty of feedback throughout the process so they can understand how they are progressing. Finally, you will need to ensure that your training program is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it remains relevant. This can be done by assessing the effectiveness of the training, as well as gathering feedback from staff.  

I know better than most what it is like to be on your uppers in life, and it is with that in mind that I always try to favour the underdog. I left school at the age of 15 with no qualifications and was once living in homeless accommodation with my three children in London. Despite the adversity that beset me, I went on to build a huge business empire in the property, recruitment, and hospitality sectors. I know better than anyone that you don't need a fancy education or a leg up in life; you simply need to have the drive and determination to succeed and be the best. I have that in oodles.  

In 2022, I ran into staffing difficulties at Benguela Cove. Many of the staff that currently prop up the hospitality industry in South Africa are Zimbabweans, who are skilled, well-educated and have a friendly disposition which is why they are found working in all roles throughout the hospitality Industry. Home Affairs in South Africa was no longer renewing Zimbabwean visas, which meant that there was a high probability of forged visas in circulation. Forgeries are an unacceptable risk for any business as it is illegal to employ workers without the relevant right to work documentation. This left me with a big issue as the busy hospitality season was nearly upon us and we had huge gaps in our staffing. The answer?  

I advertised an open day for youngsters aged 18 - 26, no experience necessary. I would train from scratch.   

360 candidates arrived for interview and a team of 6 spent the days screening and short listing. We ended up with 65 trainees making the cut to day one. I wanted to firstly see how well the trainees could retain information, so I divided them into two teams, one would learn the tasting notes and wines of Benguela Cove and the other team would learn the menu of the Moody Lagoon Restaurant.   

This resulted in several trainees standing up and leaving without saying a word, clearly this was a daunting task for some. The drilling, training, tasting pouring continued for weeks - we paid all the trainees for their time. Ultimately, we ended up with 30 staff going into a busy season. Job done? Not quite...  

To give the trainees a soft landing, I produced badges, saying "new to the team". I hoped that guests would cut the trainees some slack as they realized they were new. We had a team of new staff who were shaking from head to toe.

It was overall, however, an unfortunate outcome, as they felt unprepared for the pressure of service, and the hours that go with the hospitality business. Saturdays and Sundays would arrive and the trainees, like any other Gen Z, would decide they had worked enough and not pitch.  

I think that in hindsight a lot of these behaviours come from a lack of structured education. It is deeply concerning to see the poor education, communities in South Africa are receiving.

It is crucial that action is taken to ensure that all South African children receive a quality education, regardless of their socio-economic background. Without this I fear for the future of our workforce and South Africa’s ability to compete in the wider world.   

Guests can be brutal, and they were indeed tough on the trainees. They had high expectations and certainly did not cut them any slack. I guess the venue sets the expectations and it was disappointing if we didn't meet them.   

The trainees dropped like flies, but I said from day one that if I ended up with one amazing recruit, I would be happy. We actually ended up with 15 amazing recruits and I would say that although it was hard work and tough on my staff and trainers, we have ended up with a bunch of people that truly are the salt of the earth and the core of our business.