Da Vinci Institute students from Omnia recognised for achievements
The Da Vinci Institute, a private higher education school of business leadership, recently celebrated with its students from Omnia Fertilizer on completing the Da Vinci status certificate with electives in essential process leadership practices
SASOLBURG. – The Da Vinci Institute, a private higher education school of business leadership, recently celebrated with its students from Omnia Fertilizer on completing the Da Vinci status certificate with electives in essential process leadership practices.
The award ceremony was held at the Quest conference centre in Vanderbijlpark on Friday January 25. The Da Vinci Institute’s strategic intent is to strengthen the growth of agile, aligned and engaged leaders, who co-create innovative ecosystems and sustainable transformational societies.
The awardees were encouraged on the day by the CEO of Omnia, Mr. Jacques Villiers, to “go out with what you have learned and make a difference in the world.” They were reminded by the CEO of the Da Vinci Institute, Professor Bennie Anderson, to “go out and ensure your voices are heard as you continue to co-create and influence sustainable societies in a meaningful way.”
Omnia Group (Pty) Ltd, that operates within the agriculture, mining and chemicals industry, takes the development of its people seriously, developing an integrated leadership development initiative called Omnilead, which cuts across the organisation’s management levels from the executive down to supervisors and foremen.
The principle is to ensure the systematic behavioural alignment of leaders, managers, and staff across all divisions to the overall culture and strategic intent of the group. As an initiative that cuts across each level of management, it aims to cascade mission-critical competencies to all levels and ensure the use of a common language in all operating environments.
In 2016, the Da Vinci Institute included the ‘Essential Process Leadership Practices (EPLP) elective stream, as part of its Higher Certificate qualification that would be a driving force of the Omnibeat initiative.
Participants included supervisors from all areas of the Sasolburg plant, with the first cohort comprising over 120 learners and a second cohort begun in 2018 consisting of participants from across the Omnia Fertilizer business.
As a Da Vinci programme, a focus on situated learning and practical application are emphasised, as all modules include some form of work-based challenge to ensure new skills are applied. Venessa Vorbeck, training co-ordinator at Omnia, explains that “there is clear evidence of participants demonstrating the knowledge and skills they have acquired through their engagement with the programme”.
