Events and Exhibitions
Mr Thorsten Glauber – Bavarian State Minister of the Environment and Consumer Protection .
Ms Babalwa Mtini – West Coast College council chair .
Mr Anton Bredell – Minister of Local of Government , Environmental Affairs and Development Planning , Western Cape Government . governmental collaborations , and successful partnerships between local government and the private sector .
The partnership between the Western Cape Government , the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection , and the German GIZ through the Proklima / Green Cooling Initiative had been established back in 2016 .
As part of phase 1 in the project timeline , nine South African representatives ( two of whom are females ), received training in Bavaria and also took part in Train the Trainer technical workshops to progress towards becoming refrigeration and air conditioning ( RAC ) experts . The second phase of the project saw the connection with the West Coast College ( WCC ) initiated in 2020 with the intention of a focus on natural refrigerants through the named ‘ RAC Pilot Project ’.
The Atlantis branch becomes the fifth campus of the WCC group of technical training centres located in the Western Cape province and was established specifically to cater to the RAC needs of the industry and linked industry companies .
The investment into artisan training centres aligns to the South African government mandates of skills development and therefore alignment to the National Development Plan , while training of artisans has seen significant progression recently . The youth have over recent years been pushed strongly towards professions , administration , and information technology as examples , leaving the artisanal field ( that is crucial for any economy ) in the back seat .
It was said that artisanal skills are important in many companies , manufacturing , servicing as well as communities . These centres upskill individuals and provide more opportunities to earn a living – which is desperately needed in the country both through employment opportunities and individuals being able to start their own small businesses . With skills comes opportunity and that in turn leads to hope , which is a fundamental requirement of individuals seeking ways to better their circumstances .
" The investment into artisan training centres aligns to the South African government mandates of skills development ."
It was also noted that the successful result in the establishment of this centre was an inspiration to establish such facilities around the country and create the avenues to assist all students to become employable . This centre , as a state of the art , ground-breaking first , was said to be the start of something huge for the country and there was a call on industry in the region to look to this centre and assist in opening up opportunities for the graduates .
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1 to 3 : The handing over of gifts to guests . From left : Dr Joy Leaner accepting the gift on behalf of the international bodies , Hennie Basson – SARACCA president , and Archie Steyn – SAIRAC Cape Town centre chairman .
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I February 2022 25