It says that the government created sector education and training authorities (SETAs), which are responsible for overseeing the training processes, are not functioning as they should due to mismanagement, which causes backlogs.
ECASA also says that it has been moved between the energy and construction Seta's because both have been placed under administration.
Speaking at a media breakfast in Sandton ECASA representatives revealed several details which they say prove that government does not care about the state that training is in the electrical sector.
Firstly they said that 100 apprenticeship contracts were sent by ECASA to the SETA, yet they had only approved and sent back 15 of them, even though they had been sitting at the SETA for months.
By law the SETA is required to approve them within 21 days.
Secondly they said that accreditation had expired at several trade test centres around SA preventing promising electricians from being officially recognised.
Thirdly they explained about the interactions which they have had with the SETA and various government departments including the Higher Education and Training Minister.
They said that training was never discussed at the two meetings which the Energy SETA had held, only politics, and that nothing had come from the one meeting which they had managed to secure with the Department of Higher Education and Training. They also said that ECASA had personally met Blade Nzimande and that he had said a meeting would be set up but they are still waiting for that to happen.
Mark Mfikoe, PreCASA said at the event that, "The biggest scandal in this country is the compromising of our capacity to develop scarce skills for this industry and others as a result of the shocking manner in which our mandated training authorities continue to fail this country."
He said that large amounts of money had been deposited into the SETA but the funds were stored away and not being used for training, which was their purpose.
Mfikoe also attacked Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan about recent comments that he made in the budget. "I listened to the finance minister talk about usage of money for training the other day in his budget speech and I had to ask myself does this person have a clue about what we're going through? Does he know how much this country's skills development mandate is compromised by officialdom in dedicated departments with no dedication or commitment?"
Mfikoe revealed at the end of his presentation that ECASA has consulted with a lawyer and that there was a possibility that this matter would be taken to the Labour Court if government did not start dealing with the issue.
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