With South Africa facing a critical shortage of skilled and qualified artisans and engineers, steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa’s (AMSA’s) fully Quality Council for Trades and Occupations- (QCTO-) accredited Engineering Academy, based in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, offers artisan training to help address the technical skills gap in the country.

In a media presentation on September 26, AMSA learning and development manager Nicolene van Emmenes stated that an integrated approach to skills development could address current deficiencies in basic education, as well as help to increase the number of apprentices trained at further education and training (FET) colleges, and the quality of the training.

In the latter area, she noted, initiatives were being put in place to improve the quality of teaching and provide college lecturers with practical workplace experience.

She added that AMSA had based its skills development strategy on addressing issues within physical science and mathematics at the basic education level, as well as the skills development of the unemployed, thereby bolstering the required skills for the South African economy and addressing the business needs of AMSA.

As part of its learner pipeline development, AMSA offers an apprenticeship programme that entails institutional training, as well as workplace exposure. The apprenticeship is a three-year learning programme, culminating in a trade test with a National Trade Certificate.

AMSA Engineering Academy junior manager Busisiwe Dhladhla noted that the academy offered apprenticeship opportunities for seven occupational trades, including electricians, millwrights, mechanical fitters, fitters and turners, boilermakers, welders and instrumentation mechanicians.

Apprenticeships comprise 30% institutional training and 70% workplace exposure.

“The training is specific to the trade itself and, through the programme, learners will be equipped with the skills they need to become competent in these trades both locally and internationally,” said Dhladhla.

AMSA currently has 359 apprentices in training at the Engineering Academy.

AMSA is actively involved in several initiatives to help address skills gaps in South Africa at a national level, assisting the departments of higher and basic education and the business sector.

Given that the QCTO now oversees the accreditation for occupational qualifications and programmes, Van Emmenes noted that AMSA assisted with curriculum development for new occupational qualifications linked to the QCTO.

As previously reported in Engineering News & Mining Weekly, legacy qualifications and singular unit standards have expired as of June 30. Anyone wishing to enrol learners or employees for skills development will, therefore, need to be QCTO-accredited.

Consequently, while AMSA was previously accredited for legacy qualifications, the company is now accredited to provide occupational qualifications.

The AMSA Engineering Academy has been fully QCTO accredited since 2022 and is expecting to have its first candidates qualifying this month.

The steelmaker is also recognised by the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA) as a platinum-ranked skills development company, and is a member of the Accelerated Artisan Training Programme (AATP).

Van Emmenes highlighted AMSA’s role in the Master Steel Plan project, a development initiative in collaboration with MerSETA.

She explained that AMSA had engaged with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and MerSETA to develop an expanded skills programme in the form of apprenticeships and metals production learnerships.

MerSETA has provided a R62-million funded investment for 300 production learners and 200 apprentices on a registered structured learning programme at AMSA on a 30-month project, which began in January.

Recruitment for the project has been completed and all learners have registered and have begun with their learning programmes.

AMSA also offers university bursaries for engineering students and for employees wishing to further their studies. Closing date for applications is October 31 and applicants can apply on the company’s website.