South Africa Needs More Artisans

Filling a technical niche may not be first choice for many students who are considering their future careers, but doing so could make them highly sought after in the competitive job market.

According to career and salary reward management company Remchannel, South Africa has an inferior pipeline of individuals – aged 25 and under, and between 25 and 30 – to replace the current 40.7 per cent of experienced, industry members who will need to retire in the future.

This shortage was recently recognised by Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande, when he advised delegates at a fuel-retailers event that, “South Africa needs at least 60 per cent of school leavers to pursue artisanal-type training, to meet the country’s demand for scarce skills.”

With a nod to his department’s goal to produce 30 000 artisans a year by 2030, Nzimande’s stance is that more needs to be done to educate school leavers on the rewards inherent in the technical trades.

“With the rise of digital transformation and artificial intelligence causing a disruption in all industries, many jobs may no longer exist soon. However, there will always be jobs for artisans, due to the technical skill sets required to fix machines, as just one example,” Nzimande said.

Career options for artisans

Training for artisans has a relatively short turnaround time of about two-and-a-half years and includes careers in welding, office and home moving, carpentry, plumbing, renovating, electrical work, landscaping, panel beating and construction, to name a few. However, unlike many longer academic courses, apprentices generally start earning an income after just one year of study.

An example of a good news story to emerge from the artisanal landscape is Nelisiwe Duba, who was still in secondary school when the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) launched its ‘Decade of The Artisan’ campaign. Now aged 25, Duba grabbed the opportunity to pursue a trade in 2014 and now works as a qualified fitter and turner. “Fitting and turning is great for someone with a creative side, like me” she said.

A benefit of acquiring a trade skill it that it can springboard young people into opening their own small businesses – a level of independence that is greatly needed in South Africa where unemployment stands at 32,9 per cent according to Statistics South Africa.

South Africa needs to train more artisans

Building a pipeline

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) has also expressed concern about the low number of graduating artisans, stating that, “From energy and water, to transport and logistics, all key sectors of the economy are dependent on a ready supply of artisans.”

The organisation’s Human Capital and Skills Development Executive, Zizile Lushaba, told Engineering News: “We face two problems when it comes to this shortage. Firstly, older experienced artisans who are over the age of 55 are retiring, while those in their 30s and 40s are taking advantage of the global portability and demand for their skills – and are emigrating. Secondly, younger, newly qualified artisans lack the experience to substitute the skilled people who are leaving the country.”

Lushaba has called for a strong partnership between industry and workplaces, sector education and training authorities, and skills development providers.

While government should play an overarching role, she believes that these stakeholders should collaborate to:

  • ensure theoretical exposure to artisanal programmes for learners;
  • provide practical and on-the-job training wherever possible; and
  • emphasise that the theoretical and practical aspects of these careers go hand-in-hand.

With only 12 out of 100 Matriculants in South Africa accessing the university system, and only about four of those completing their degrees, the push towards workforce-ready young people cannot be overstated.