BUSINESS AND TRAINING 33
Provincial world skills
By
Rory Macnamara
After not having heard from World Skills for decades , Plumbing Africa was delighted to receive an invitation to attend the Mpumalanga Provincial competition .
At the crack of dawn with not even the birds awake , we made our way to Standerton to the Gert Sibanda skills and artisan section of the College . Interestingly , the Mayor of Standerton – when addressing the mass of apprentices from all the colleges linked to Gert Sibanda TVET and dignitaries – noted the essential role that students had to play in building Standerton up to the great city it was , before the ‘ thieves ’ and others broke it down . Having just experienced the roads ( or should I say the potholes that represented a road ), I felt for him .
Before the formalities we paid a quick visit to the exhibition which consisted of SETAS and a few other companies , and then to the skills section which consisted of plumbing , solar , electrical , carpentry and bricklaying . Bearing in mind that this was the first day with a further three days to go , the tasks had only begun , but it was good to see commitment to the tasks and the focus of the students . World Skills falls under the Department of Higher Education ( DHET ), and World Skills operates from Indela in Olifantsfontein .
The Deputy Minister , Mr B Manamela , was brief and to the point but stressed the importance of skills , and the role of youth – both now and in the future . PA
“ Good to see commitment to the tasks and the focus of the students .”
Plumbing Africa | Rory Macnamara
Two of the solar tasks .
Three of the contestants on their copper task .
Deputy Minister of DHET , The Hon . B Manamela
February 2024 Volume 29 I Number 12 www . plumbingafrica . co . za