To address the skills shortage in the con- struction industry, the Master Builders Association Western Cape (MBAWC) has implemented a training programme that will offer basic skills courses, apprenticeship initiatives, a cadet education programme, the upskilling of con- struction supervisors and frequent seminars for members on the latest industry developments.

“In the Western Cape, a large percentage of people working in the industry have either very basic literacy and numeracy skills or none at all. As those people cannot enter into an apprenticeship or any formal type of training, we offer our members’ employees a variety of basic skills courses, such as construction carpentry, basic bricklaying, scaffold erection, scaffold inspection, waterproofing and painting,” says MBAWC group skills facilitator Tony Keal.

He adds that training is provided based on demand for particular skills by MBAWC members, who only have to pay for the employee’s wages while the organisation finances the full training costs. The MBAWC refers the candidates to accredited training providers in the Western Cape and certificates of competence are issued on completion of a course – equipping the employee with a marketable skill.

Core to the training programme is the appren-ticeship offering, which is run in two ways, one being member-driven and the other being run by the organisation itself.

“Member-driven apprenticeships involve [nominating] young employees who can benefit from upskilling in a specific area. To be considered, potential apprentices should have a Grade 10 education or higher, with maths literacy and a technical subject. They undergo psychometric and personality tests to determine their suitability for the industry,” Keal explains.

Thereafter, the MBAWC registers the appren-tice with the Construction Education and Train-ing Authority and the South African Revenue Service (Sars) and then sends them to an accredited training provider and funds their training up to the completion of their trade test, which is also organised by the MBAWC.

“The member company does not have to outlay any money, but provides experiential training. In this way, the member company employing the apprentice will have its scorecard enhanced and will, at the end of the financial year, receive a tax rebate. On passing the trade test, the apprentice will receive a certificate from the Department of Higher Education,” he points out.

Recognising the shortfall in certain trades, the MBAWC has implemented another apprentice-ship programme, which gives those with a Grade 12 education the opportunity to build on their academic foundations. Not only does the organisation pay for their training and place them with members to put their theoretical knowl-edge into practice, but also pays them a stipend.

Apprentices are placed with smaller member com- panies, as they do not have the rollover capacity of work associated with their larger counterparts, which means that the apprentices get proper on-site practical training for an extended period.

Also, the MBAWC’s three-year cadet education programme is geared towards the development of future foremen or construction supervisors. The programme, based on method- ologies from the British Construction Indus- try Training Board, will enable those with a National Technical Certificate 6 to attain a National Qualifications Framework 4 qualifi-cation, which is equivalent to a diploma from a university of technology.