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TRAINING
IOPSA project manages
apprenticeship pilot project
"The objective By By IOPSA | Images by Eamonn Ryan
is for the
IOPSA serves as the lead employer in the Department of Higher
programme Education’s Centres of Specialisation (CoS) initiative.
to ultimately
that ensures that all the parties contract seamlessly in a
Its primary objective is to address the demand
spread for priority trades that are required for the
project that will culminate in the all-important trade test. The
first intake started in January 2018, with 25 trainees in each
of the government’s National
throughout implementation
of Gauteng and Eastern Cape who are now in their second
Development Plan and the National Infrastructure
year. A second, larger intake of 75 has already commenced
the country, Plan through direct contribution towards building
in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape (25 each). The
the capacity of the public Technical and Vocational
first intake (what is left of them) will become qualified artisans
with a plan to Education and Training (TVET) college system. The
in 2020.
outcome is to deliver trade qualifications
scale up from intended
There has however been a significant fall-out rate. Selection is
with employers as critical role-players.
done via colleges’ waiting lists as well as IOPSA’s canvassing of
its membership. In the latter case, it is often offered to existing
25 and include The average age of existing qualified artisans (not just
employees wishing to become qualified plumbers. Because
in South Africa is in excess of 55, and so will begin
it is a pilot process, the recruitment process has since been
some other plumbing)
retiring soon unless replenished.
improved than it was for the first, where it was found that
some learners were already on another programme and simply
provinces as With plumbing having been identified as one of the 13
wanted the stipend (R3 400), rather than a desire to learn
trades within CoS, IOPSA – as the lead employer – is
plumbing. Others received offers of full-time employment while
well." priority
charged with acting as the link between industry, participating
colleges and host employers. It manages apprentices in
this intricate collaboration as the project manager, with the
colleges providing the theory, host employers the on-the-job
experience, and DHET the public funding through the National
Skills Fund’s SETA Discretionary Grant system. It falls to
IOPSA to ensure that both employers and colleges offer a
well-rounded skills solution for the development of a world-
class artisan.
Participating as host employers are plumbing firms such as
AJC Plumbers, Plum Plumb Plumbing, as well as various
hospitals.
As part of the CoS, what is known as the ‘Dual System Pilot
Project (DSPP) is being managed by IOPSA, a three-year
apprenticeship in collaboration with the German Cooperation.
The Dual System in fact predates the CoS, and the pilot is
to ensure the two dovetail. An apprenticeship differs quite
markedly from a learnership: in the latter trainees simply
acquire some work skills (but not to the depth and level of an
apprenticeship who gets trained in trade in order to become
an artisan), while in an apprenticeship they acquire specific
skills on the way to becoming a professional plumber. The
former is a more serious skills development process and
retaining those skills within the industry and by specific
employers is consequently more important.
Through this unique arrangement, employers offer experiential
learning to apprentices while TVETs impart the knowledge
component, including simulations with IOPSA as the centre
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on the programme, resulting in the initial intake of 50 being at
the moment down to 39. Normal labour laws apply, though the
contract of employment does contain penalties.
The objective is for the programme to ultimately spread
throughout the country, with a plan to scale up from 25 and
include some other provinces as well.
The youth are enrolled for the three years and alternate
between blocks of time at the TVET and at the workplace
throughout the three years, switching workplaces as needed
to ensure they get relevant experience. The programme is fully
funded by the NSF which passes the funding to IOPSA which
in turn pays each trainee a monthly stipend. Provided with this
funding, IOPSA ensures each gets a toolbox, PPE, and medical
fitness tests as required.
While the objective of parties to the project might be to rapidly
scale up the enrolment, it is almost entirely dependent on
the willingness of host employers to firstly provide training,
and secondly employ apprentices full-time at the conclusion.
The employer is not under an obligation to employ upon
the learner completing the training, though it is hoped that
this would be the result with the employer having learned
of the value of the apprentice over the years. However, the
apprentice also has a responsibility to impress the employer.
IOPSA has encouraged members to accept the apprentices,
as it is an invaluable tool to upskilling the industry and
provides them an opportunity to take on plumbers that they
have themselves monitored the development of.
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January 2020 Volume 25 I Number 11