An innovative vocational education and training project developed to provide a platform to jump-start young people into engineering careers has been launched by the Culima Institute in Jet Park, Boksburg.

Founder and director Dr Anthony Gewer describes the programme as practical, with the core principles being student success and student placement in industry.

“Trainees obtain international vocational qualifications (IVQs) in engineering, based on a blended technology-based learning approach and self study through the use of a tablet loaded with all the course material coupled with hands-on practical training in a fully equipped workshop,” Gewer says, while noting that the name ‘Culima’ is derived from the Swahili word ‘to cultivate’.

The City and Guilds accredited training centre also has a strong focus on improving the maths and science competence of students as well as preparing them with work-readiness skills.

The IVQs offered in a simulated production environment include: a diploma in manufacturing technology, for entry to the trades of mechanical fitter and fitter and turner; a diploma in fabrication and welding technology, for the welder and boilermaker trades; and a diploma in electrical and electronics technology, for the electrician and millwright trades.

The training, designed to needs- rather than qualifications-driven, is offered both to apprentices and learners of local employers as well as to private students seeking to enhance their chances of entry to the engineering industry.

In cooperation with youth development accelerator project Harambee, Culima ensures that candidates selected for training, both company-based and private, have the potential to succeed in a technical pathway in industry.

Trainees undergo six months of intensive orientation, which includes both theoretical and practical training in a workshop environment in preparation for entry to the trade most suited to their interests and skills.

In addition to making a contribution to the goal of developing qualified artisans, Culima, in partnership with Scaw Metals, is also embarking on the training of multiskilled production workers, which will take place in a simulated production environment.

Candidates in the production stream will follow the same initial training as the apprentices, which includes basic hand skills, materials, computer-aided design, technical drawing as well as production skills with a focus on productivity improvement, management of wastage and improved efficiencies. During the course of 2015, the institute will be introducing new qualifications in both production and construction.

Gewer, a recognised expert in the post-school sector derived from 15 years of work providing strategic and technical support to government, industry and further education and training institutions, believes the innovative Culima model will yield success stories, as well as useful lessons for other stakeholders seeking to nurture trainees.

The aspiration is to promote individual development and illustrate how the transformation of the postschool system can become more efficient, relevant and responsive to industry needs, says Gewer, who holds a PhD in education policy.

Boilermaker apprentice Andile Malevu from Scaw Metals, who is currently undergoing project training at Culima, is optimistic about his future prospects, having walked a long road to pursue his dream of becoming a qualified artisan. After matriculating in KwaZulu-Natal, he completed his NC(V) 4 at Majuba Further Education and Training College and is currently studying to complete his N5 programme. “My time here at Culima Institute is amazing,” Malevu says. “I can work on projects with my team in the workshops with experienced instructors from industry in a practical production environment and then, with technology-based interactive learning, go home in the evening and continue to study the learning materials on my tablet in my own time.” He looks forward to passing his qualifying trade test and is adamant that he will continue to study further and progress up the hierarchy in the engineering industry.