The regime for training in technical and vocational skills has been all but destroyed by hasty and ill-conceived decisions by the powers that be. The forced closure of training boards run by the various industrial sectors (construction, manufacturing and so on) has been catastrophic.
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In their haste to destroy what were seen as bastions of and guardians of white privilege in the training environment, they have thrown the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. The perception was that these institutions were responsible for perpetuating the paradigm of white bosses and black workers.
Skilled artisans
While these perceptions may have had elements of truth to them, the depth and quality of the artisan training was often of a world-class standard. Institutions such as those run by the Building Industries Federation (BIFSA) and the Furniture Industries Training Boards (FITB) produced artisans of the highest caliber.
These artisans, in addition to their technical skills, were set on a clear career path in their chosen fields. The added benefit to employers was that as these training centres were funded from levies on their payroll, the costs of training staff was minimal and pre-funded.
Compared with the situation that exists now, where employers are expected to fund all training costs themselves, and hope to recoup this outlay from what are largely dysfunctional Sector Training Authorities (SETAs), it is not surprising that the portion of budgets set aside for staff development is shrinking rapidly year on year.
Combined with the confusing multitude of accreditation bodies (SAQA/SANQF) the training environment has become a minefield.
Tertiary training
The Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges have not been able to fulfil the needs, and their transformation into TVET Colleges does not inspire the industry with any confidence that the situation is going to change any time soon.
The commitment by higher education minister Naledi Pandor that much attention is going to be given to these shortcoming may be all a little too late.
It has been widely accepted that providing a young job seeker with a needed technical skill is one of the best first steps to gainful employment, and eventually self-employment.
Most of the established engineering firms in this town are owned by ‘graduates’ of the Sasol construction projects – young men who were ‘appies’ through the massive roll-out of these projects, and emerged with world-class skills in the fields of boiler making and welding.
Take ownership
It is my view that we need to let the industry take back ownership of the training of their potential employees. The government departments can ensure that curriculums are aligned or not conflicting with the overall development goals of the country.
But aside from that, use the funds lying with the ineffective SETAs to assist industry rejuvenate these defunct training establishments. Then sit back and watch the roll out of competent, skilled artisans across industry sectors.
After matriculating, Vijay Naidoo studied Economics in the UK. Upon his return, hejoined the family construction business as MD for 10 years.
He subsequently joined his sister in their furniture manufacturing business as director for quality assurance and operations. He was responsible for all quality aspects of their products, and led the project to the business achieving an ISO 9000 quality accreditation. As an export focused business, this was important for our international competitiveness.
Mr Naidoo has an abiding interest in quality management and productivity improvement, particularly in manufacturing.
More recently, he has focused a lot of his time on giving back to the community by way of mentorship of small businesses and sitting on the executive of the South Coast Chamber of Commerce. He also sits on the Board of the Ugu South Coast Development Agency.
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