MBAWC offers wide ranging training programmes

© Alexey Klementiev – za.fotolia.com

This includes basic skills acquisition courses, apprenticeship initiatives, a cadet education programme, the upskilling of construction supervisors and frequently held seminars for members on the latest industry developments.

"In the Western Cape a large percentage of people working in the industry either have very basic literacy and numeracy skills or none at all," says group skills facilitator, Tony Keal. "As those people cannot enter into an apprenticeship or any formal type of training, we offer our members' employees a variety of basic skills courses such as construction carpentry, basic bricklaying, scaffold erection, scaffold inspection, waterproofing and painting."

Certificates of competence

"Training is provided based on demand for particular skills by our members who only have to pay for the employee's wages whilst we finance the full training costs. We refer the candidates to accredited training providers in the Western Cape. Certificates of competence are issued upon completion of a course - equipping the employee with a marketable skill."

Apprenticeships are the MBAWC's core training offering. "There are two ways in which we run our apprenticeships," explains Keal. "The one is member driven, while the other is orchestrated by the MBAWC."

Member-driven apprenticeships involve the putting forward of young employees who can benefit from upskilling in a specific area. To be considered, potential apprentices should have a Grade 10 education or higher with maths literacy and a technical subject. They undergo psychometric and personality tests to determine their suitability for the industry.

The MBAWC then registers the apprentice with the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS), sends them to an accredited training provider and funds their training up until the completion of their trade test, which is also organised by the MBAWC.

Experiential training

The member company does not have to outlay any money, but provides experiential training. In this way, the member company employing the apprentice will have their scorecard enhanced and will at the end of the financial year, receive a tax rebate from SARS. On passing the trade test, the apprentice will receive a certificate from the Department of Higher Education.

Recognising a shortfall in certain trades, the MBAWC has implemented another apprenticeship programme which gives those with a Grade 12 education the opportunity to build on their academic foundations. Not only does the organisation pay for their training and place them with members to put their theoretical knowledge into practice, but also pays them a small stipend.