Cold Link Africa Jul/Aug 2016 Vol 1 No 6 | Page 41

Letters to the editor
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN

The problem with the trade test …
By Geoff Hobbs

Does a trade test really prove that someone is qualified to work in our industry?

T

here is a problem with the quality of the
tradespeople we are churning out. To
legitimately qualify for a trade test, one
needs at least an N2 qualification and 80
weeks of apprenticeship. People are passing
these tests too easily these days without the
actual skills being acquired. This is because
many training facilities now offer ‘trade test
preparation courses’ that simply focus on
the tasks being assessed in the trade test.
In addition to this, we have the
Accelerated Artisan Programme that makes
provision for persons with at least an N3 and
six months of ‘college time’, during which
time the norm seems to be most modules
are signed off. Thereafter, the candidates
are placed and expected to successfully
complete a trade test by the end of the
placement year. In principle, this is not a
flawed concept. However, in reality the
level and the variety of exposure will never
prepare the candidate adequately for the
career ahead.
The trade test itself is also part of the
problem: the fact that the trade test hasn’t
changed from the one that has been
written since the 1970s is an issue. A trade
test is formulated around 12 possible tasks
for assessment, of which at least five will
be examined in any given test. Although
assessors can change certain parameters,
there is very little you can alter. It’s similar to
a driving test: you know what you’re going
to be asked. The trade test needs to be

changed.
This task, I believe, resorts with the National
Artisan Moderation Body (NAMB) under
merSETA. Although the fundamentals remain
the same, they should look into not only
changing the trade test, but also updating
certain elements because technology has
changed in the past 50 years.
This is where the problem of trade test
preparation courses comes in. They basically
just train apprentices on these 12 tasks of
the trade test with the aim of passing. If
the candidate has honestly completed
all aspects of the task schedule as signed
off at company level, or undergone a
proper Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
assessment and been found able to attempt
a trade test, then a protracted preparation
phase would not be required. If there are
gaps, those gaps need to be covered under
a separate initiative, either institutionalised or
in the workplace.
Should a candidate still be learning
during the ‘preparation phase’ then surely it
is preparation for the test and not the future.
Those candidates are then deemed
qualified, but in fact they are only really
qualified to pass a trade test — not to work
in the field. This is very dangerous when
you enter more technical fields, such as
refrigeration. You cannot learn a trade in a
few weeks. Extensive trade test preparation
courses are wrong. Should we receive a
request for a trade test date, we offer a

three‑day familiarisation session where very
little contact is maintained and purely an
oversight in terms of safety is offered.
I've been trade testing people for 14
years and I do not want people to be found
competent when they can’t step up to the
tasks. For instance, what happens when
someone wants to ‘progress’ from the
domestic market to the commercial one for
financial gain? If I prepare and find these
candidates competent but they make a
huge mistake, it will be on my head.
However, not all companies share the
same view. I have come across people
who have passed the test but don’t even
understand the fundamentals. We regularly
pick this up when those candidates return for
Pressure Equipment Regulations (previously
Safe Handling) training. That’s why I
complete and return a trade test readiness
assessment first, where I test them on 35
basic aspects of the trade. I need to know
that the person is competent if I’m putting
my reputation at risk. This we do at no cost.
This raises the issue that there is only one
trade test — whether you want to work in
domestic refrigeration or in commercial
refrigeration, or on a trawler or in a cold
room — it’s all the same test. Surely there
could be some split between domestic,
commercial and industrial — although, this
could get very technical.
In the end, we seem so desperate
to have skilled workers that we are

COLD LINK AFRICA • July | August 2016

compromising on the quality and depth of
these skills. Is it really worth it? You can’t fake
this trade — you’ll get caught out too easily.
It must however be noted that there
are companies out there who are willing
to appreciate the extra effort and passion,
and do insist that the only way to qu