36 LAST WORD REVISITED !
Playing the blame game
By
Rory Macnamara
I was asked some time ago to look into the matter of trade test certificates that are delayed by anything up to five years …
Plumbing falls under the Construction SETA ( CETA ) so focus was only on CETA . Some 300 certificates had not been issued going back to 2017 .
The impact is on the learner / apprentice who , without the QCTO certificate confirming that he / she is indeed a plumber , the individual is restricted to appie jobs and cannot earn his / her rightful salary . an interview with the Administrator and his team to discuss the issue of outstanding certificates . For this graciousness I will always be grateful . It enabled me as an independent to put forward the situation regarding certificates to an equally independent group and explain the impact , which the team accepted . The work done by the team is amazing and 200 certificates have since been issued .
“ The point is , blaming does nothing to resolve the issue – ensuring that the learner / apprentice is regarded as paramount is .”
This is what all focus must be on – the learner / apprentice . At first it appeared to be a handful , but as we spoke to Training Colleges , approved by IOPSA , it became apparent that this problem ran into hundreds of people .
The normal process after all information has been submitted to CETA is three months for the certificate to be received by the now qualified young plumber . Once received by CETA and all is confirmed , the documents move to a body called National Artisan Moderating Body ( NAMB ) who scrutinize and then forward to Quality Council for Trades & Occupations ( QCTO ) who scrutinize again , and if all well , the certificate is issued .
At the start of this investigation CETA went into administration , again ! The Administrator could not commence his duties as there was a court challenge by the then CEO , so once the challenge was disallowed by the court , the Administrator and his team could move in .
I must acknowledge , that shortly after the team took up their position with much on their plate , I was granted
Through this period , which included the Covid lockdown , which just added to the frustration , the temptation was to blame CETA for all the ills . CETA is not without blame , that is accepted , but as we delved further into the matter it became apparent that the colleges must carry some of the blame as they do not supply complete documents , and it appears that to misplace or lose a logbook is not a hassle , just one of those things !
But all these bodies involved , be they colleges , CETA , NAMB or QCTO , all have a stake in the process of a plumber actually becoming a plumber once he / she has completed theory and on the job training .
There is still a way to go in getting long outstanding certificates issued , and what is needed now is for a list to be made , detailing where the fault lies so that the process can be restarted . Colleges that are IOPSAapproved , or perhaps even IOPSA themselves , should push this from their side . TVET colleges , not in the IOPSA circle of approved colleges need to jack themselves up , now ! PA
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline June 2021 Volume 27 I Number 4