RACA Journal : ISSN 1812-772X
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RACA Journal Publication www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za eamonn @ interactmedia . co . za
TIME TO REFRESH TECHNICAL TRAINING
World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development fell on 4 March as a timely reminder of the need for skills in South Africa – as well as the critical role played by mechanical engineers along with all other types of engineers in developing an appropriate infrastructure for the country . Sadly , as revealed in an extensive article on TVETs and private training in the News section , South Africa has a problem training enough qualified HVAC & R tradespeople , as well as mechanical engineers .
While TVET institutions have no lack of students there are massive performance issues . Audits conducted on TVET staff reveal a troubling percentage of teachers not qualified to do the training they are employed to do . The result is that even when an individual has four years of post-matric technical education they are unfit for employment as they have not learned enough basics . TVETs , for instance , don ’ t for the most part utilise practical workshops notwithstanding the large amount of public money they receive .
Out of its membership levies , SARACCA subsidises such training to 75 % of the cost but the organisation notes that because of the post-Covid economic slowdown there has been a fall in applications for these subsidies . SARACCA also subsidises members who take on an engineering undergraduate studying at a major university or technikon – because they need to have a period of experiential training on the job . Such people don ’ t necessarily stay in HVAC & R but some may be drawn to it based on their experience . No universities offer a dedicated course in HVAC & R – only short courses as part of the bigger engineering graduate course . The industry is not so big as to absorb dozens of students every year . This leaves the field open to private technical colleges .
In HVAC & R there exists a pronounced skills shortage at the design level , as people with over 30 years ’ experience retire , and new graduates either haven ’ t yet acquired the necessary experience or emigrate . This means that at local government level , they do not have a balanced technical capacity even when they have increased the technical headcount . Such programmes to increase the capability of the public sector consequently fail . Mentoring also becomes more difficult . At the opposite end of the spectrum large numbers of experienced engineering professionals ( more so in the case of civil than HVAC & R ) are unemployed through lack of government projects .
There is a multitude of means for HVAC & R companies to make a difference when it comes to training their own staff and offering apprenticeships to matriculants . This comes via amounts paid by companies into the National Qualifications Framework ( NQF ) system through the Skills Development Levy whereby they can get about 70-80 % of that money back . There are also discretionary grants , which a business can apply for if it wants to take on apprentices . That is attractive given the payout can be in excess of R200 000 over three years per apprentice .
Massive energy demand in South Africa is contributing to growth in the power sector , with the need for a huge increase in the installed capacity of electricity generation . HVAC & R mechanical engineers and contractors contribute a sizeable portion of the manpower requirement of any power plant , and are of course critical to the design and project management of any commercial , industrial or mining HVAC & R system . Rapid urbanisation in the country is also contributing to the growth of the home appliance market which is opening up a wide range of opportunities for mechanical graduates .
HVAC & R mechanical engineers face the challenge of developing sustainable solutions to various problems that we face as we move towards a net-zero carbon society . The demand for these emerging technologies is creating lucrative opportunities for mechanical engineers , contractors and tradespeople to showcase their talent . RACA
Eamonn
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I April 2023 1