Electricity and Control July 2021

RESKILLING, UPSKILLING + TRAINING

Skills development – enriching young lives

P roviding training for relevant skills and experience in the steel industry is one of the keys to addressing the industry’s skills shortage and the high youth unemployment rate in South Africa. According to Statistics South Africa’s recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), published 1 June 2021, some 3.3 million (32.4%) of 10.2 million young people aged 15 to 24 years were not employed or trained. The overall NEET (not in education, employment or training) rate increased by 1.7 percentage points in Q1 2021, compared to Q1 2020 statistics. This depicts a further drop in the employment rate and emphasises again the official unemployment rate which has been persistently high, with the youth being the most affected. To remain an active role player in skills transfer and development, Alfeco Group’s ferrous metals division – Veer Steel Mills – inducted a selected group of 171 learners for the 2021/22 portable skills development courses. This was done in partnership with two non-profit companies that focus on skills transfer – Imisebenzi and Nhlanhla PS Holdings – and the sector education and training authority, MerSETA (Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority), which incorporates the metals sector. The learners will undergo various work readiness programmes including internships, learnerships and apprenticeships at the group’s Alrode plant in Alberton. Some of the learners will be transferred to the group’s Veer Aluminium plant in Olifantsfontein to complete their training. Thabile Lukhele, Training Manager at Veer Steel Mills, says the training programme which it has run over three years already, in partnership with MerSETA, was established to offer work-related practical exposure and

training opportunities to unemployed youth to equip them for employment. “In order to take South Africa forward and make our country globally competitive within the metals sector, the youth require extensive skills training. The learners will be trained in administration, electrical technology, fitting & turning, mechanical, general engineering, metallurgy and production technology,” says Lukhele. 135 learners will be trained in production technology, eight will join the fitter apprenticeship programme, another eight will be a part of the turner apprenticeship programme and 20 individuals will join the mechanical engineering and metallurgy graduate programmes. Lukhele adds that such programmes create skilled employees who add value to the group and the learners participating in the training gain hands-on experience – and a step up onto the platform to become employable, with the requisite skills and certification. According to Lukhele, the new intake was well timed (in June) to honour South Africa’s Youth Month. “We are doing our part in building the next generation of a young, skilled workforce, as we recognise that investing in the youth is paramount to the growth of the steel industry, manufacturing and the country,” says Lukhele. Mpho Mphou successfully completed the 2020 Production Technology learnership programme. After completing the programme he was absorbed into the production department at Pioneer Metals, the copper manufacturing division of the Alfeco Group. “My supervisor Francesco Sanna has taught me almost everything about production. I now enjoy production and I aspire to teach other youth about the intricacies and joys of production,” says Mphou. He advises the new intake of learners to be diligent, to listen to their facilitators, and read their notes regularly to find success. Veer Steel Mills’ greater objective, in partnership with MerSETA and training bodies such as the University of Johannesburg’s Resolution Circle, is to develop future leaders in the steel industry who will have the capabilities, proper knowledge, requisite skillset and understanding of how to produce and provide the best steel in the sector globally. In today’s tough economic climate – while the focus is to impart skills – the company also ensures the students are well catered for financially. “Our learners will benefit by receiving a stipend over the next 12 months while enhancing their skills in the working environment. This will in turn enhance their career prospects,” says Lukhele. Lukhele further believes that training staff to stay abreast of continuous technological advances in the industry helps the company and the group maintain their business presence and adhere to best practice.

Participants and instructors in the Alfeco Group’s Production Technology Learnership programme celebrate their induction day.

The Alfeco Group is a new generation integrated metals compa- ny based in South Africa. It comprises three divisions: aluminium, copper and ferrous metals. The group currently has three operat- ing companies, Veer Aluminium (aluminium), Pioneer Metals (cop- per and copper-based alloys) and Veer Steel Mills (ferrous metals).

For more information visit: www.veersteelmills.co.za

28 Electricity + Control JULY 2021