Construction industry needs government's support

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This was the comment of Rob Johnson, executive director of the Master Builders Association of the Western Cape (MBAWC), in reaction to the recent State of the Nation Address by president Jacob Zuma.

"The industry is still recovering from the effects of the global recession and needs to have some measure of reassurance that the government, regardless of whether it remains in the hands of the ANC or is taken over by another party, will continue to support it. Government is in the best position to deliver a consistent workload to the construction sector and thereby reduce the effects of economic cycles. Our industry has the capacity to absorb large numbers of unemployed people, and thus enable the development of skills, if a steady work-flow can come from government," Johnson said.

Training and skills

"In terms of training and skills development, we commend the government's achievements, particularly the increase in the number of enrolments at tertiary level, the much-improved matric pass rate and interventions aimed at bettering maths and science. We also applaud their efforts to make further education more accessible both through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and the construction of additional FET colleges," he noted.

"We will continue to support government's efforts through our artisan, skills and bursary programmes. However, these can never be on the scale required to service the industry as a whole. It is our hope that the party elected on 7 May will continue to build on the foundations laid by the current government," Johnson concluded.