FEATURES
The building industry is experiencing a shortage of skills .
A shortage of installers is a problem that was identified in the US in 1976 , and very little has been proposed to change it . South Africa is no stranger to the shortage . The Flooring Industry Training Association ( FITA ) has a shortage of installers in South Africa . “ What we have to remember is that if we do not have competent certified and adequate installers that can perform installations of excellence , the manufacturers , importers , wholesalers and retailers will not have a business anymore ,” it says .
Keith Campbell Chairman of global flooring company Mannington Mills , says that this has been a key area of concern in the industry as far back as he can remember . “ A number of issues are now contributing to the short supply of young talent , namely competition from other trades in the building sector and a lack of information regarding potential earnings and incentives to help high school graduates pursue tertiary education ,” he says .
SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTH AFRICA
Public attention was on the construction industry in 2005 when government announced that it was planning to construct the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link as well as the provision of infrastructure for the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup . The need for these massive projects highlighted the skills shortage in the industry . This placed pressure on the government to find timely interventions to ensure the delivery of a number of infrastructure development projects .
Sean Jones of the Artisan Training Institute ( ATI ) stated that in 2014 the construction industry was expected to go through a high growth phase , owing especially to a
greater focus on housing projects and large-scale infrastructure projects .
“ We are hearing about serious delays in projects , lack of skills and low levels of worker participation . Given these factors , it is a distinct possibility that some of the bigger projects , that form part of government ’ s current Medium- Term Expenditure Framework ( MTEF ), will be badly constructed , or simply take too long to complete ,” he says .
“ The impact of low quality standards can clearly be seen in the construction of low-cost housing for the poor , previously called Reconstruction and Development Programme ( RDP ) housing ,” Jones says , adding that a frightening percentage of these houses are built well below standard , often because selected contractors do not have the capacity to complete the task at hand .
“ These contractors do not have the skills for proper project delivery . The result is that we have thousands of government-funded low-cost houses , which lack the basic standard levels ,” says Jones . He notes that the lack of skilled artisans in South Africa is evidence of the low quality of the country ’ s mathematics and science education , compared with global standards . “ There needs to be a focus on correctly training teachers , which is absolutely critical and should be a priority for government ,” he says .
Formal employment in the construction sector decreased progressively in the 1990s until the low of 2001 when the industry had lost more than 200 000 jobs . An increase in infrastructure investment since 2003 has seen a steady increase in the number of jobs created and the accompanying challenge to secure requisite skills .
AFFORDABLE
SA HOUSING MARCH - APRIL 2017 27