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Jun 04, 2008:
The newly launched construction skills training centre in Midrand is to address the skills shortage in the construction industry ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
In light of increased infrastructure developments ahead of the World Cup, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has partnered with construction giant Group Five to open the centre.
"The objectives of this project are in line with government's policy around the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (AsgiSA), the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (JIPSA) and the 2014 goal to halve unemployment," according to the bank.
DBSA and Group Five, in a move to bridge the gap between the required skills and the shortage, last year agreed to fund and establish construction skills training centres in Midrand, Gauteng and Grabouw, Western Cape.
Midrand in Johannesburg was chosen because of the availability of land and its proximity to areas with high unemployment like Tembisa, Alexandra and Diepsloot.
The land was provided by the Mia Family and is situated just off the Allandale off-ramp on the Old Pretoria Road.
In the second stage of the initiative, it is the DBSA's intention to establish a second training centre in Grabouw which is ideally suited to establish the area as a potential training hub for the Western Cape region.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the DBSA, Paul Baloyi said the local construction industry is engaging in some significant projects that include World Cup stadia across the country, the Gautrain, port and airport expansions and upgrades, and housing and service infrastructure developments.
"Combined with other heightened construction growth and projects, we now have an enormous demand for capacity and talent in the construction industry which is already facing a shortage of artisans and skills.
"And to make the situation more acute, existing skills are declining in quality due to inadequate training and skills development facilities," he said. – BuaNews
