One of the biggest threats to the future economic growth of South Africa is the technical skills shortage in engineering and technology, says nonprofit technology services company The Concrete Institute MD Bryan Perrie.

The Cement and Concrete Institute (C&CI) closed at the end of April and The Concrete Institute opened in its place in May. The organisation will continue to offer the courses the C&CI used to offer.

Perrie states that the shortage of qualified concrete technologists, for example, is a major component of the shortage of materials engineers in the country and the fact that the training offered for many decades by the C&CI is being continued by The Concrete Institute has been applauded by the building and construction sectors.

The Concrete Institute’s School of Concrete Technology (SCT) and the information centre are pockets of valuable assets to students and professionals in the sector. The SCT brand offers recognised certificates within the concrete industry.

The school offers a step-by-step approach to education in concrete technology. Depending on experience and prior education, a candidate can enter the education programme at a level suitable for his or her needs. A candidate with no previous exposure to concrete can enter Level 1 courses, while a university graduate civil engineer can enter the programme at Level 2 or 3.

Once a candidate has gained some practical experience, he or she can embark on the more ambitious Institute of Concrete Technology courses offered by the school, the pinnacle of these being the Advanced Concrete Technology (ACT) diploma course.

The SCT will offer the ACT diploma as a six-month programme from January until July next year. The students will attend two two-week-long blocks of lectures, during which industry experts expose candidates to current concrete technology giving them a networking opportunity.

The school partially funds the information centre, while the centre plays an essential func- tion in updating the school with the latest available worldwide research and advances in concrete technology.

“This – along with its rich history – positions the SCT to continue with its role in alleviating the huge skills shortage in concrete industries,” says The Concrete Institute lecturer John Roxburgh.