The budget that Trevor Manuel presented last week is old news already - but the impact will stay with us for ages. One thing shone through, however: he has boxes of cash to throw at Eskom for one - but how is it going to be spent? Let's face it, in an industry as heavily dependent on skills as our power supply utility is, the ability to spend money in a budget (spend it wisely, that is) is dependent on the skills of the people involved... If your organisation is short of the requisite skills to make the best use of the cash, then you're pretty much wasting your time having it in the first place - and Eskom admits to being short of skills in key areas. We seem to have been remarkably free of blackouts recently, but I wouldn't be surprised if they return. And if they do, it won't be due to a lack of cash - it will be due to a lack of skills in planning, building and operating our power grid. Education and training is an infinitely renewable resource; we had better make the most of it.


Rod Baker, Content Manager