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In its continued drive to close the critical skills gap within the metals and engineering sector, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has offered ten apprentice bursaries to upcoming artisans.
The bursaries would allow ten young men and women to undergo a 26-week Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority-accredited institutional training programme at the Seifsa Training Centre (STC), in Benoni, followed by on-the-job training at Seifsa member companies for 18 months.
Seifsa human capital and skills development executive Mustak Ally said the South African manufacturing sector faced considerable competitive pressure to become more productive and compete successfully in export markets, and the existing skills shortage – especially in technical trades – did not help matters.
“It is against this backdrop that Seifsa continues to drive the skills development agenda within the metals and engineering sector,” he added.
The trades offered to the apprentices include electrician, boilermaker and welder, as well as fitter and turner, besides others. To be eligible for a Seifsa apprentice bursary, applicants had to be South African citizens between the ages of 18 and 28 and must have achieved at least 50% for four N3-level subjects aligned to the chosen trade.
In addition to the ten apprentice bursaries, Seifsa was also offering ten tertiary education bursaries to first-year students studying towards electrical, civil, industrial, mechanical and metallurgical engineering qualifications at universities and universities of technology across South Africa.
Seifsa awarded bursaries to individuals pursuing studies in the engineering sciences in the steel and engineering environment every year.