Academy accredited to offer instrumentation, rigging training

31st May 2013

By: Samantha Herbst

Creamer Media Deputy Editor

  

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Level 1 broad-based black economic-empowerment train- ing academy the Artisan Training Institute (ATI), formerly the Ikhaya Fundisa Techniskills Academy, can now offer training in instrumentation and rigging, after securing accreditation from the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) in February and investing R4.5-million to establish training programmes in the two trades.

ATI CEO Sean Jones tells Mining Weekly that market acceptance has increased significantly since the launch of the new trades, with between 40 and 50 future instrumentation mechanicians and almost 80 future riggers registered for training during the course of the year.

He says that the institute’s Roodepoort-based head office is almost fully booked for the year, while its satellite training centres in Crown Mines, Johannesburg, and at cement and concrete company Natal Portland Cement, in Port Shepstone, are proving busier than usual.

Jones attributes the success of the launch of the new training programmes to the strong market demand for instrumentation mechanicians and rigging specialists, adding that the introduction of the programmes has already contributed to the institute’s bottom line.

However, Jones tells Mining Weekly that the ATI has had to overcome several obstacles in the last year, including the significant cost of launching the new training programmes.

“In the instrumentation field, this is due to the sophisticated nature of the loops that have to be developed, which comprise a variety of electronically activated instruments,” he explains.

Establishing a training programme for rigging involves expenses related to the space required to practise the trade, and to steel erection and costly consumables.

Jones further highlights finding competent staff to run the programmes as another challenge faced by the institute in establishing the new training programmes, owing to the shortage of skills in instrumentation and rigging.

“The obvious challenge is that [although] there are many artisans out there, not everyone has the ability to train apprentices, which requires skill and patience. There is no quick fix for finding the right people,” says Jones.

Nevertheless, he and his team at the ATI found three trained artisans with hands-on experience who were willing to down their tools to enter the training environment. The institute ensured that each new trainer underwent a two-week asssessor training qualification to provide them with the right tools to train instrumentation and rigging apprentices.

The ATI started recruiting and training new staff in early 2012, in anticipation of rolling out the new trades. The institute also worked with other training providers who provided support and constructive criticism as part of the planning and commissioning process.

“The environment among Gauteng-based artisan training providers is unique and the audit processes – which we do through the MQA – are very constructive,” explains Jones, adding that the training providers are always willing to share their knowledge and experience with one another.

Piqued Interest

With the newly established instrumentation and rigging technical training courses under way, Jones tells Mining Weekly that several of the institute’s existing clients, including ferrous-metals miner Assmang, platinum miners Lonmin and Northam Platinum and gold producers Harmony Gold and Gold One, are likely to take advantage of the ATI’s new service offering.

“About 56% of our total business is focused on the mining industry and the vast majority of those mining customers are likely to seek training in the two new disciplines,” he says.

Jones says the ATI’s next challenge is to “get the word out” to existing and potential customers who need to train riggers and instrumentation mechanicians, so that the institute can begin to register a better return on its R4.5-million investment.

Expansion Plans

Future plans for the ATI include the roll-out of an additional Northern Cape-based satellite operation, in collaboration with African Rainbow Minerals. Jones reports that construction on the project will start next month in Kuruman, in the Northern Cape.

“This modern facility will significantly benefit a part of South Africa that has traditionally been underresourced,” he says.

The ATI is also due to launch a diesel training centre in January next year in Hartbeesfontein, in the North West, to train tractor technicians and autoelectricians in the area.

Jones highlights a “massive demand” across all industry sectors for diesel mechanics, including the agriculture, mining and automotive industries.

“In addition, I’m starting to see an increase in demand for trained boilermakers. Until recently, companies haven’t been actively training boilermakers, but that is definitely starting to change,” he says.

Moreover, the institute is in talks with two “fairly substantial” corporate organisations to negotiate the takeover of their respective in-house training centres. Jones expects to know the outcome of the negotiations by the end of the year.

“Corporates often have training centres that become a bit of a white elephant, as they become unsustainable, owing to the cost of running them. “We, therefore, offer a service whereby we run corporate training centres on behalf of com- panies. Essentially, they outsource their training centres to ATI,” he explains.

Boasting several blue-chip clients, including agricultural machinery company John Deere, mining and construction equipment manufacturers Komatsu and Liebherr, among several other mining, manufacturing and engineering companies, the ATI is believed to offer the widest range of artisan training courses.

These include courses for fitters and turners, tool jig and dye makers, electricians, millwrights, welders, boilermakers, sheet-metal workers, petrol and diesel mechanics, tractor mechanics, forklift mechanics, autoelectricians and earthmoving equipment mechanics.

Meanwhile, Jones tells Mining Weekly that, while other local training providers are retrenching staff and, in some instances, have had to close shop in recent months, the ATI is flourishing as a business.

He attributes this growth to a keen focus on implementing high-quality standards, including the institute’s resolve to seek the best possible staff to train future artisans.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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