Drivers and solution
Drivers
Three of South Africa’s major challenges that needs to be addressed are – job creation, skills development and socio-economic development. Welding is a scarce skill in South Africa with a resultant shortage of suitably qualified welders, who are equipped to meet the required skill level for new and existing projects. The current welder shortage is nothing new and has been a crucial issue for years.
Solution
The Sasol Welding Skills Development Programme, therefore seeks to elevate the already established welding programme in Sasolburg, taking into account the challenges posed in the country and the world.
Intended Beneficiaries:
- 34 Beneficiaries (14 Sasolburg and 20 Secunda)
- Beneficiaries interested in welding training programme at BRC and Training center in Secunda.
- Beneficiaries who completed only one course in a specific welding process interested in completing other three courses with the aim to qualify as artisan welder
Opportunities for Employment:
- The motor body manufacturing industry
- Power plants and refineries
- Metal industries
- Gate and fence maintenance and repair
- Railway undertakings
- Heavy engineering
- Explosives industry
- Construction of buildings, bridges and other structures and Private home construction
Overview
The programme will support the training of certified Welders within the following scope:
- Technical skill training in any of the welding courses
- Technical skills training in all four welding courses
- Develop and support beneficiaries to become coded welders and certified artisan welders
The Welding programme will run in 36 months cycles and will focus on:
- Equipping beneficiaries with technical skills in different welding courses and ensuring that they become “coded welder”.
- Equipping beneficiaries with technical skills in different welding courses and ensuring that they acquire certification as artisan welder.
- Entrepreneurship skills training
Skills Development Process
Current Status
BRC Welding School
The BRC Welding School in partnership with Aurex and Afrox is a success story of how businesses can collaborate to address critical skills and employment needs in the community. The training centre was built by Aurex at the Boithorisong Resource Centre. Aurex provides training and Afrox provides consumables to the Welding School and Sasol supports with operational costs.
A modular approach is followed with 30 candidates trained as Structural Welders and 12 accepted for Argon (TIG) welding per annum.