Business Link

Partnerships between Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges and business in the province can help address the skills shortage by producing school leavers qualified in both technical and business disciplines.
South Africa has over half a million job vacancies at all levels which cannot be filled, because the right skills are not available. One of the ways business and government are tackling the challenge is through partnerships such as that launched in 2006 between five construction companies (Aveng, Basil Read, Group Five, Murray & Roberts and WBHO) and the Department of Education to develop skills for the construction industry through selected FET colleges.
The construction companies assist the FET colleges with the recruitment and selection of students; recruitment and in-service development of lecturing staff; procurement of equipment and consumables; placing of students who complete the three-year course; and external assessment of students and training, according to the National Business Initiative (NBI).
Many FET colleges also have partnerships with local businesses in their area. There is scope for more, as the focus of the colleges moves towards grades 10, 11 and 12, rather than post-matric training. Even relatively small businesses can afford to sponsor a pupil. Registration is R450, with the most expensive course at the Eastcape Midlands College (EMC), for example, being Engineering and Related Design at R6 720 for the year. If the pupil applies him or herself, they will qualify for a bursary – reducing the cost to business to voluntary support of the student.
Corporates and bigger businesses can also assist by seconding qualified staff to lecture at the colleges during the downturn. In this way staff will be retained and the skilled personnel of tomorrow will be prepared for the next upturn.
FET colleges in the Eastern Cape include EMC, Eastcape Training Centre, the Port Elizabeth FET College, Lovedale Public FET College, King Hintsa FET College, Ingwe Public FET College, Ikhala Public Further Education and Training College, and the Buffalo City Public FET College.

Courses offered include Marketing; Office Administration; Tourism, Finance, Economics and Accounting; Safety in Society; Information Technology and Computer Science; Electrical Infrastructure Construction; Engineering and Related Design, Engineering and Agriculture.

All prospective students must have passed grade 9, while there are further qualifications for different courses. At EMC, for example, students must be proficient in English, and those which include mathematics require a pass of at least 40%.

South Africa is not alone in looking to vocational colleges to address skills shortages. Reports from the United States say a growing number of American students are enrolling for technical courses. Even in the face of job cuts amid the current economic turbulence, U.S. manufacturers have great concern about the growing shortage of young skilled labour needed to make products used in industries ranging from aerospace and medical devices to alternative energy and infrastructure improvements, according to industry experts.

A recent poll conducted by sponsors of the FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show revealed executives cited the lack of employee skills as a leading obstacle to growth. “They report their biggest challenge today is finding skilled workers, who have the knowledge to handle the increasingly sophisticated tasks required in manufacturing,” says Jerry Shankel, president and CEO of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International (FMA). “For example, we are using laser light to cut metal now, and it requires a person proficient in math and science skills.”

“Part of the problem is the media and Hollywood, who often portray manufacturing in a poor light,” says actor John Ratzenberger, host of the factory-focused Travel Channel show “John Ratzenberger’s Made in America” and founder of the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation (NBT) that encourages young people to consider careers in manufacturing.

The NBI, college heads and Ratzenberger also encourage manufacturers to expose pupils and their parents to modern factories to show them how much they have changed from
the stereotypical sweat shops.