Transformation in South African business has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, and every step of the way, Progression has been there. Starting out merely to raise awareness of the economic potential of people living with disabilities, and coming full circle to developing self-sufficient business hubs entirely driven by people with disabilities, Progression has transformed alongside corporate South Africa over the past two decades.
It’s against this backdrop that Progression celebrated its 20th anniversary in September – an acknowledgement not only of its current success, but also of how far it has come since its founding.In 2002, Beth Cook was inspired to show South African businesses just how much value people with disabilities could add to their organisations.
Beyond the obvious empowerment angle, she identified the business case that could be made, where companies could focus equally on people and profit while reaching their transformation goals.And so Progression was launched, with three women sharing one computer in Cook’s dining room. But it wasn’t plain sailing. The economic slowdown of 2007 hit the business hard, and it all but closed down. Not one to be outdone by a challenging business environment – after all, that was what Progression assisted people with disabilities in overcoming in the corporate world – Cook adopted a new funding model for the business and pushed on.Her tenacity paid off, and together with one of her original team members, Zarina Bulbulia, she reinvigorated the business, focusing on the solutions they could bring to companies.
Since then the Progression team has grown, and today passionately works to promote economic and social equality for the most marginalised and vulnerable in society through innovative and inclusive solutions.The company has racked up an impressive track record over the past 20 years: it has trained more than 10 000 people with disabilities and helped more than 6 000 people with disabilities find employment. It has also engaged with and consulted to more than 1 200 companies around issues of transformation, diversity and skills development.
To date, Progression has implemented more than 2 000 projects in these fields, valued at R240 000 000, and established six Employment Hubs in the areas of web design and development, payroll, sewing, furniture manufacture, farming and ceramics.These enterprise development hubs are expected to grow into standalone entities, employing people and generating their own income, within the next two years. Corporates can invest in these existing hubs, or work with Progression to establish a new, tailormade hub that speaks to their unique business needs and aligned to their specific value chain.
“We have a proven track record with South African businesses in helping them achieve their transformation goals and legislative requirements, and these successes are proof points of that,” says Cook. “We understand the challenges of doing business in South Africa today, and we also understand how difficult it can be to transform a business within the current landscape. It’s from this place of understanding of both sides of the coin that we provide organisations with strong businesses solutions that work.”Progression’s ground-breaking disability management solutions in enterprise, skills and economic development have marked it as an industry expert in the fields of inclusion, accessibility and integration.These solutions follow a best practice approach that focuses on the skills and abilities of individuals in relation to the job, the school environment and the local community.
