Western Cape Business 2018 edition

OVERVIEW
Education and training
Tackling the skills deficit.
Skills training is seen by many economic planners as the single
biggest priority for South Africa and the Western Cape.
Airports Company SA (ACSA), the City of Cape Town and the
False Bay Technical and Vocational Education and Training
(TVET) College in Westlake have combined in an innovative initiative
to offer residents of Blikkiesdorp a chance to learn skills in brick-laying,
house-building, scaffolding and health and education.
ACSA is investing R5-million in the 12-month certification project
and the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) will
channel funds to False Bay College to enable it to roll out training.
Once trainees have completed the National Certificate in
Community Housebuilding, they will set about building houses for
themselves and their neighbours in communities near the airport.
The Western Cape Provincial Government has listed skills development
as one of four key “enablers” of the regional economy. An
intervention relevant to the construction industry is offered by the
provincial Department of Transport and Public Works. Targeted training
for emerging contractors is presented in regional centres like Riversdale
and Worcester, and in Piketberg and Saldanha. The four-week, modular
course covers issues such as site management, safety and enterprise
development and allows contractors to continue running their businesses
while they study. The course supports the Expanded Public
Works Programme (EPWP).
Another provincial initiative was launched in 2016: the Western
Cape’s Apprenticeship Game Changer. Announced at the annual
meeting of the Premier’s Council on Skills, the Game Changer aims to
introduce 32 500 qualified apprentices into the labour market by 2019.
R1-billion has been allocated over a three-year time frame.
The Lawhill Maritime Centre in Simon’s Town is preparing young
people for careers in the maritime sector. Subjects offered include
nautical sciences, maritime economics and electronic navigation
systems. The school is funded by a variety of companies (such as
Safmarine Container Lines, Grindrod and SMIT Amandla Marine), state
organisations (Transnet National Port Authority and the South African
Maritime Safety Authority) and private foundations. Educational
commentator Jonathan Jansen wrote in the The Times that the centre
“reminds us what our country can still become – without any direct
state funding”.
SARATEC is another institution offering industry-specific training.
The South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre is managed
by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (Bellville campus) but it
SECTOR INSIGHT
• The Lawhill Maritime
Centre is successfully
launching maritime
careers.
• Communities near the
Cape Town International
Airport are learning to
build houses.
collaborates with several other institutions
and private companies.
Technical and Vocational Education
and Training (TVET) colleges
offer a range of diplomas and
short courses in many skills. Each
of the province’s six TVET colleges
has several campuses.
The College of Cape Town
(CCT) has nine outlets and caters
to the central city. Northlink
College is in the northern suburbs
of Cape Town and is an innovator
in workplace monitoring. It
has three business units that
give students experience: Hair
and Cosmetology, the Clothing
Factory, and a restaurant and conference
centre. The Fitting and
Machining Centre of Excellence
at Wingfield has the latest equipment.
False Bay TVET College
has campuses in Fish Hoek,
Muizenberg, Mitchell’s Plain,
Khayelitsha and Westlake.
Outside of the Cape metropole,
Boland College looks after
Stellenbosch, Worcester, Paarl and
Caledon, while the Southern Cape
College covers a wide area, from
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