Media Release: Bricklaying Apprenticeship continues to benefit youth of the Garden Route

For immediate release
4 August 2020

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa, together with the Services SETA, approached the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) to participate and pilot an A21 Bricklaying Apprenticeship programme. The municipality was provided with ten (10) seats for unemployed youth in the district.

The seats offered to the municipality were split between Bitou Municipality and GRDM and the programme started in March 2019, stretching over a period of three (3) years.

However, with the lockdown announced in March this year, the programme had to be temporary brought to a halt.  During this period, the South Cape College which was appointed as training provider, continued to pay stipends to the apprentices, as per the directive of the Department Higher Education and Training (DHET) since the lockdown was announced.

This programme is an initiative of the Department of Higher Education and Training and was designed to meet two objectives:

• to address the demand for priority trades needed for the implementation of Government’s National Development Plan in general and its National Infrastructure Plan more particularly;  and
• to contribute towards the building of capacity of its public Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College system to deliver trade qualifications with employer partners.

According to Mr Reginald Salmons, GRDM Coordinator for Skills Development and Training, the initiative was also identified as part of the Garden Route Skills Summit resolutions, to “Progressively support the development of the new apprenticeship of 21st Century (A21) in the District”.

The programme is currently in its second year and has resumed in June 2020.

The learners are being trained theoretically by South Cape College and then do their practicals at a construction company identified by the GRDM.

Photo Caption:  Skills Development and Training officials at Garden Route District Municipality, Ms Angeline Naidoo (left) and Mr Reginald Salmons (fifth from left) with the participants of the A21 Bricklaying Apprenticeship in the District.