As of next year, accredited training provider MSC Artisan Academy will implement what it calls ‘blended training’ for artisans, which it hopes will stimulate self-learning and e-learning for its students owing to technological advancements being incorporated into the training methodology.

It is hoped this will attract more learners to consider becoming artisans and help meet the National Development Plan’s target of training 30 000 artisans a year by 2030.

Currently, South Africa produces 13 000 artisans a year across all trades, therefore, MSC Artisan Academy director Willie Gresse believes it is of importance to upscale the intake of artisan trainees and also reinforce quality of skills in the trades as this is critical to numerous sectors of the economy, many of which are engines of economic growth.

“Our aim as an academy is based on two principal things and that is to attract more young people into the artisan profession and present it as a viable career path, and to introduce current qualified artisans to new technological advancements,” he says.

Gresse says that over the years, quality in artisan training has been lost, adding that more than just aiming to meet the 2030 target, it is vitally important to produce a new breed of artisans that are skilled holistically to benefit the economy.

Moreover, the lack of quality in artisan training has put off young people considering it as a career path. These, Gresse points out, are some of the focus areas of the academy as it strives to market the profession to young people and make them understand how easily they can be employed in industry as a result of the existing need for artisans.

Further, partnership with industry is importance for the academy, as he indicates that financial support through such partnerships allows the academy to provide the best necessary training for the students. Industry having a passion for training is key, as during and following the completion of the programme, students will need to intern at some of the companies in order to get work experience.

“To this effect, our industry partnerships are key in driving this mission as the more we link up with companies, the more being an artisan becomes a viable career path for young people,” he mentions.

The academy will also be opening up two new branches next year, which is the first move in a plan to eventually have an academy in every province in the country.

“In January, we will be opening a branch in Kempton Park, Gauteng and another one in Rustenburg, North West mid-year next year. These two will give us a total of three academies as we already have one [academy] in East London, Eastern Cape as well,” he explains.