The Civil Engineering Contractor March 2019 | Page 7

POLICYMAKERS
“Compared to many other industries, the
construction industry is poor at providing
a structured learning and training
environment to make sure that the right
lessons are learnt. Too many people are
hardwired to do things incorrectly and
often apply bad practices as a result.”
To develop construction skills requires, at a minimum,
a more consistent workflow.
I believe that these minimum requirements are vital for
ensuring both the well-being of our industry as well as our
economy and the community at large. We have laboured too
long under unfavourable circumstances and the outcome has
been regression and compromise. These have damaged the
industry and disappointed the candidates who pinned their
hopes on opportunities that could have been created had we
had a vibrant and healthy construction industry. nn
We therefore need a more favourable environment that
should include:
• A more consistent workflow. The promised infrastructure
spend must start coming into the market if we want our
construction industry to survive and remain active in
South Africa. This action is in government’s hands.
• 
In addition to community upliftment facilities and
minimum local employment requirements included in
all government agency contracts, meaningful training
requirements should also be introduced; not just for
the project in question but for each trainee on a long-
term basis.
• Organisations should be encouraged by tax breaks and
other incentives to introduce training schemes such as
traditional apprenticeships.
• Measures should be taken to encourage young people
to become tradespeople. Being a technically competent
tradesperson should be promoted as a desirable career.
• We should implement opportunities to move across
from being a tradesperson and acquire college diplomas
and degrees to become a technician or engineer.
• 
Professional development of degree and diploma
recipients should be more structured. This can be done
in association with professional bodies.
• 
Mentoring and mentorship programmes must be
adopted and become a requirement across the board
of the skills spectrum. We have a finite window of
opportunity to use our ‘grey beard’ resources to assist
in the development of all skills levels. Let’s not waste it!
www.civilsonline.co.za
What we need to do
Ian Massey co-founded MDA Consulting in 2000 and is
responsible for the operations of the MDA Durban office.
As a director of MDA, Massey contributes towards and
participates in the management and development of the
firm as a whole.
A chartered civil engineer by profession, Massey has
over 18 years of contracting construction experience
and more than 30 years’ commercial consulting
experience. He has worked with some of South Africa’s
largest contractors and employers, providing specialist
services in the building, construction, engineering,
and mining industries in the promotion and defence of
contract claims; management of disputes; alternative
dispute resolution; project structuring; and training. He
also has experience in forensic audits and has provided
expert witness services in a number of arbitrations.
CEC March 2019 | 5