Technical skills are urgently needed within the aviation industry.
With the year drawing to a close, companies look to future jobs and skills requirements. The aviation industry flags the need for technical skills as training is seen as the “most critical factor” in restarting local airlines and related support operations. Meanwhile, Saaff opens a training academy to support the logistics industry and a new study shows that 72,000 jobs could be created by 2030 with a move from coal to renewables.
Aviation needs technical skills
Technical skills needed within the aviation industry have diminished during the Covid-19 pandemic as several air corridors scaled down operations and air traffic generally slowed down in comparison to pre-pandemic levels, according to Safomar Aviation CEO Shai Shalem.
Speaking at the Commercial Aviation Symposium Africa, he said the negative impact on aircraft technical skills was characterised by a dramatic drop in aircraft passenger transport and that aircraft technician training is becoming the “most critical factor” in the restart process of airlines and airline support operations.
Transition from coal to renewables can create jobs
An estimated 72,000 jobs could be created in Mpumalanga by 2030, through the creation of a new clean-energy hub for the country by scaling up investments in renewable energy and accelerating coal decommissioning, a new study shows.
The study, which was published by the Cobenefits project, assesses the co-benefits of a transition from coal to renewable energy.
Sasol, NRF partner on research and science
Sasol and the National Research Foundation (NRF) are working together to support the next generation of science and engineering researchers.
As part of the agreement, the NRF-Sasol Foundation Scholarship Programme aims to sponsor about 102 candidates over a three-year period from 2022, with nearly half of them being master’s and doctoral students.
The second agreement is an industry-academia research collaboration with Sasol’s Research & Technology function, to provide funding and strategic support for research in science and engineering areas that can enable energy transition, as well as the development of its green economy.
Training academy for logistics industry
The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) has opened a training academy to address the skills shortage in the logistics industry.
The academy is aimed at professionals and businesses and offers training solutions and capacity building interventions for the transport, logistics and supply chain industries.
According to Saaff, demand for skilled workers will outstrip supply by 2030, resulting in a global talent shortage of more than 85.2 million people.
