Get a trade – get a job
Ekurhuleni Artisans and Skills Training Academy has trained about 24 320 people to date
For the next 15 years, more than 30 000 artisans are needed annually to re-establish a good artisan training system.
This is according to Mduduzi Manana, the deputy minister of Higher Education and Training.
According to www.qualitasworld.co.za, an artisan is a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand, such as an electrician, plumber, mechanic, boilermaker etc.
The website further states that getting employment as an artisan is easy, because these qualifications disappeared for a number of years. During that time, the remaining qualified people became older and retired, while no new artisans were being trained to enter the market.
Marthie Jansen van Rensburg, the director of the Ekurhuleni Artisans and Skills Training Academy, said a lot of people tend to frown upon the ‘blue collar’ worker employee, and what they do not realise is that they contribute heavily to the economy.
Studying as an artisan will not only get you employed, you can start your own company with a lot of ease.
“When you have one of the artisan skills, starting your own small business is easy and affordable.
“I started this training academy with one welding machine, a small site, determination and a passion to better the lives of the unemployed,” said Jansen van Rensburg.
To date, the Ekurhuleni Artisans and Skills Training Academy has trained approximately 24 320 people since 2006. Since its inception, the centre has received over 30 national and international awards and has proved to be a leader in the training sphere.
The centre has received recognition for being a game changer in the education sector, offering quality education and enhancing economic development.
“Receiving awards is great but the best award is seeing that you have changed someone’s life,” said Jansen van Rensburg.
Read Page 6 of this week’s Kempton Express for more Artisans stories:
