Ashortage of dedicated and qualified welding educators and trainers, with the relevant experience, has resulted in a low number of qualified artisans being produced yearly, which forces State-owned enterprises such as Eskom and Transnet, as well as corporates such as Sasol, to import skilled and capable workforces from other parts of the world, especially for large infrastructure projects.

This is according to Umfolozi Further Education and Training (FET) College Richards Bay principal Sam Zungu, who estimates that between 30% and 40% of the welders that work on local power stations are from other countries.

He says foreign welders are frequently used, as skilled South African welders, such as welding technicians, technologists, underwater welders, welding engineers, cutters and boilermakers, are limited in the industry.

Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) executive director Jim Guild adds that local manufacturers have to cope with global competition, which has led to insufficient work availability and fewer locals being employed. This, in turn, has resulted in the importing of skills, which is necessary, owing to the skills shortage government and industry are trying to address.

Earlier this year, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said South Africa had a shortfall of about 40 000 skilled artisans.

Zungu says between 5% and 8% of that comprises welders, but adds that if government’s 18 Strategic Infrastructure Projects, including the proposed nuclear power stations, are taken into account, the estimates could be more.

He believes that the welding trade is still perceived by many as a low-level trade, compared with other trades, and may, therefore, be regarded as fitting for persons with limited cognitive abilities.

Zungu says there is a lack of proper theoretical training for welders, which could be the result of negative perceptions about the profession.

Outdated equipment technology and consumables used in training and manufacturing also tend to perpetuate the negative perceptions of the welding trade.

In a bid to sensitise youth about arti- sanship and improve the perception of the trade, Nzimande and his deputy, Mduduzi Manana, have declared 2013 as the Year of the Artisan.

Zungu says the campaign, which is themed ‘It’s cool to be an artisan’, is one step in the right direction in getting rid of the stigma attached to the welding industry. He says this campaign will also help train welders to work more independently and will distinguish clearly between qualified welders and assistant welders.

He points out that the insufficient number of welding educators and trainers is the result of the difference in pay structures between education and industry.

“Most suitably qualified and experienced welders opt to work for big corporate companies rather than for training institutions, such as FET colleges, owing to the low salaries paid by these public institutions,” Zungu states.

Also, most training institutions tend to focus on the basic skills and neglect the high-level skills, such as those required by welding technicians, technologists and engineers.

While South Africa’s welding skills are fair, many welders find it difficult to interpret written welding instructions and, in some instances, dedication towards the trade is also lacking.

Institutions such as FET colleges, Zungu says, need to ensure that trainee welders can effectively read and understand written instructions and welding procedures.

He states that proper career guidance and information-sharing sessions are also needed to highlight the opportunities in the welding sector.

“There are sufficient opportunities for welders, mostly in the energy and manu- facturing sectors, as the majority of engineering processes, particularly in manufacturing, start with welding,” says Zungu.

Guild agrees and says that manufacturing is key to economic growth and increased levels of employment. He states that welding is a key production process in almost all manufacturing activities and if this sector grows, the job opportunities in welding and related industries will increase, resulting in many employment and career opportunities for South Africans who have educational qualifications ranging from Grade 10 to a PhD.

Welding is involved in about 98% of all manufacturing processes – if not in the item produced, then in the machinery used to produce the item, says Guild.

In June 2012, he told Engineering News that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was about R2.55-trillion in 2010. About 15%, or R380-billion, of that came from manufacturing, excluding the motor vehicle trade and the metal fabrications portion of construction.

“The 2011 and 2012 figures show no growth in manufacturing despite government interventions. We have to start looking at things differently, with the national government listening more closely to challenges identified by industrial entrepreneurs,” Guild states.

He adds that local manufacturers have to cope with global competition and the ease with which low-cost markets, such as India and China, can export their products to South Africa is a significant problem.

On the quality side, many South African fabricators are still able to match the quality of imported products but sometimes to be able to achieve this, they have to use imported skilled welders.

The low level of skills of newly qualified local welders becomes especially apparent through the high reject rates in large construction projects such as the current Eskom work and large plant shutdowns such as those experienced by South African Petroleum Refineries.

Guild says many of the young persons emerging from FET institutions simply do not have the high-end skills needed for work, which is critical in nature. There are a variety of reasons for this and, until these are addressed, the situation will not improve.

He adds that there is some good news, with some industry interventions, such as Eskom’s initiative in which it aims to train 700 welders over the next six years.

“Eskom is going about this in the best way, using a top-class programme, in a top-class facility with well-skilled instructors and quality oversight provided by the SAIW. We need to expand this approach into the national training system,” Guild states.

He also adds there is good news for higher-end skills as more students graduate from specialised courses at universities and institutes. There are more than 80 welding engineers and technologists in training this year.

He says it is interesting to note the diversity of the gender, race and age of the candidates at the SAIW and universities, all of whom will be making a career in welding and a positive contribution to the industry in the future.

Guild says the South African welding industry has access to new equipment and technology through local and international suppliers, but the industry does not always make use of the most modern approaches, especially in the application of automation and manipulation equipment.

He says this is due to the fact that South Africa has a small market and is not especially export orientated.

Guild explains that the welding industry comprises different segments, such as fabricators, consumables and equipment suppliers.

While the consumables and equipment suppliers, as well as the fabricators servicing Eskom, are doing well, the fabricators servicing other fields are feeling the effects of the recession.

“Government is trying to do the right thing but it needs to be less prescriptive and make use of industry expertise. Sooner or later, industry and government will come together. With projects on the horizon and the expected improvement in the global economy, there are positive movements,” Guild states.

Zungu will chair a session on a Department of Higher Education-mandated FET turn-around strategy at this year’s seventh yearly convention and learning expo, dubbed African Education Week, which creates a platform for all education stakeholders to debate pertinent challenges affecting education in the country, including the shortage of skills.

“The session is designed to provide a framework for moulding FET colleges into institutions of choice rather than second or third options for our South African youth. The strategy is also aimed at changing the anomaly in our education system, which sees more students attracted to universities than to FET colleges,” he explains.

The convention and expo will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Johannesburg, from June 20 to 22 and Zungu hopes it will help stimulate robust debate on the shortage of welders.