Plant Equipment and Hire August 2017 | Page 24

TRAINING Building up the workforce: the importance of training By Robyn Grimsley Yellow metal equipment is expensive, and so it makes sense to ensure that those who will be working with it, either operating or servicing, have the necessary skills and experience to do so. Many OEMs, such as Barloworld Equipment, offer a variety of training and certification options for both operators and technicians. South Africa accounts for 41 of the 85 construction projects in southern Africa, including four of the 10 largest projects in the region. Members of the apprenticeship programme spend eight weeks a year at Barloworld Equipment’s Isando facility undergoing intensive training. 22 AUGUST 2017