From novices to skilled workers: 45 youth graduate with industry accredited certificates

TRIBUNE REPORTER
FORTY-FIVE youth from eMbumbulu, south of Durban, will be graduating from a private-public partnership training programme in the built environment.

The year-long training programme is accredited by the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) and is a collaboration between Magnacorp Project Managers (Pty) Ltd with Vumani Civils and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport.

The graduation ceremony will be at Madundube Hall in eMbumbulu on Thursday, July 24. The graduates have completed a year-long CETA-accredited Further Education and Training (FET) NQF Level 4 in Supervision of Construction Processes, and NQF Level 3 in Construction: Roadworks.

Magnacorp's managing director, Sanele Ndlovu, said, "Graduates have acquired both theoretical knowledge and practical competencies in key construction areas.

"These include roadworks, site supervision, health and safety compliance, and quality control. The training is aligned with national occupational qualifications, which means the learners leave with industry-recognised skills that are immediately applicable on site."

She said all 45 learners completed a rigorous assessment and hand-on practical training.

"These certifications serve as a strong launchpad into employment or further professional development within the built environment," said Ndlovu.

The graduates fall within the 18-35year age group which aligns with national youth development targets and is specifically aimed to empower young people who are entering the construction sector for the first time.

"All participants were recruited from the eMbumbulu area. One of our objectives was to ensure local beneficiation by prioritising youth from the very community where the project was being implemented," said Ndlovu, who's a professional civil engineering technologist, a designation awarded by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) to individuals who've demonstrated expertise in applying engineering and technology to solve practical problems.

She's also a member of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE).

Of the experience of working with the youth through this programme, Ndlovu expressed pride in seeing several young people who joined the programme with no prior exposure to construction emerge as confident leaders on site.

"One graduate, for example, began the programme as a general labourer and ended up assisting the foreman with crew coordination. Another young woman, a mother of two, balanced training and parenting responsibilities, and today she’s determined to pursue a formal engineering qualification," she said.

Eleven of the learners were absorbed to be interns for Vumani Civils, when they were done with the internship, one of the learners was employed by the subcontractor who worked with traffic and later in three months another one was employed by another contractor to work on another site.

For the NQF level three programme, out of 25 graduates, 13 are young women, one of the women passed on which would have brought the total number to fourteen.

For NQF level four, there are 13 women out of 20 graduates.

"All in all, out of the 45 graduates, 26 are women. We are particularly proud of this, as it reflects our commitment to transforming gender dynamics in what has historically been a male-dominated sector," said Ndlovu.

"Candidates had to meet the minimum educational requirements, demonstrate a genuine interest in the built environment, and reside within the eMbumbulu community. We also prioritised unemployed youth and young women, in line with our inclusion objectives."

Of their partnership with KZN Transport, Ndlovu hopes that it is long-term.

"This project was delivered in partnership with Vumani Civils under the Department of Transport’s broader infrastructure programme. The success of this pilot sets a strong foundation for continued collaboration, particularly in aligning infrastructure delivery with youth employment and skills development."

Ndlovu said programmes like these are important as the industry needs a pipeline of trained, work-ready individuals who understand site realities, and hands-on accredited programmes help in bridging the gap between formal education and industry demands, while also tackling youth unemployment.