Master Builders Association North is embarking on a mission to take training programmes on the road in a new “Training on the Move” initiative. Paul Adams,  MBA North Construction Health & Safety Specialist, says a special LDV which has been fitted with a television set,  other modern audio-visual equipment include loud speakers, as well as a range of tools and equipment for practical demonstrations, will in future be used to offer training of contractors’ personnel, either on site or at the contractors’ offices.

“The new vehicle has been sponsored by Federated Employers Mutual Assurance Company, the leading insurers for the South African building and construction industries. It will for the first time enable MBA North to not only take training to sites or offices in Gauteng but also to Mpumalanga, North West, and Limpopo provinces, which are part of MBA North. We also intend targeting smaller and emerging contractors for whom distance from our offices in Midrand, plus the cost of sending employees to training sessions in Midrand, could be prohibitive. “The training to be provided from the vehicle will be comprehensive, and cover not only Construction Health and Safety, but also the wide-ranging training offered by MBA North’s Education, Training and Transformation department.

We also intend using the vehicle for membership promotion, to name but a few of its potential applications,” Adams added. Mohau Mhomela, executive director of MBA North, said the donation by FEM coupled with sponsorship by equipment suppliers, would at last make ‘Training on the Move’ – a long cherished ambition of MBA North – a reality. “MBA North has as one of its main missions the dissemination of information to and training of smaller contractors, particularly those from previously disadvantaged communities. Being able to take training in various vital aspects of building right to such contractors’ doorstep is a pioneering achievement for any MBA in South Africa. We are extremely proud to lead the way in this regard,” he stated.