The minister outlines the jobs that were needed in the construction sector recovery plan.
The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, shared his plans to boost employment at the Construction Sector Education and Training Authority (Ceta) infrastructure summit held on 27 January.
The minister said implementing the economic reconstruction and recovery plan launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2020 relies on the participation and contribution of all players in the sector. “The plan is intended to bring South Africa back on course towards the targets set in the National Development Plan, which includes amongst others, aiming to grow the South African economy at a rate of 5.4 percent,” he explained.
The minister said that prior to the devastation brought by Covid-19, the construction sector had not been in the best of shape in terms of investment, jobs, growth, inclusivity and skills. “The pandemic has only served to deepen the dire straits of a sector already on a downward spiral,” he said.
Nzimande noted that construction firms of all sizes have closed or are barely surviving, with dire consequences for jobs, growth, entrepreneurship and skills development in the sector.
He indicated that the department was currently developing a skills strategy to support the economic reconstruction and recovery plan, and that preliminary indications were that the country needed more construction project managers, civil engineers, civil engineering technologists, architects, civil engineering technicians, building inspectors, carpenters, plumbers, steel fixers and electricians.
The minister added that a new construction sector standard to be determined by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) will mean that around 10% of the labour force on construction sites and in design offices will receive structured workplace skills training annually.
In terms of public sector contracts, this will result in a spend of around R450 million on workplace training per year, 10,000 learning opportunities per year for further education and training learners/artisans, and 1,500 learning opportunities for candidates.
Nzimande said that through interventions, the industry must address existing demographic balances: “As we implement the economic reconstruction and recovery plan, we have an opportunity to address these transformational and development imperatives, as gender equality and economic inclusion of women and youth are identified as priority interventions.”
