Training – some bright sparksJenny GriceWhile many Numsa organised factories report that their companies are failing on training, shop stewards at Scaw Metals in Wadeville are more optimistic.The shop stewards abandoned the training committee and instead now negotiate training and employment equity issues in their monthly management meetings. They have also demanded that the training department produce a data base of workers with different qualifications so that “we can develop these people”.According to Scaw Metals Group Training Manager, Vusi Zwane, the company is currently training about 144 artisans. Up to now their annual intake has been 40 apprentices but they plan to double this next year in line with targets set by Seifsa for government’s Jipsa programme.Experienced artisans are also being trained further to take up posts as plant and engineering managers. Recognition of prior learning has seen some workers being moved up because of their experience – “One worker was made a foreman, even though he doesn’t have (formal) education,” says Stanford Ndobo, chairperson of the shop steward committee. In another department, a worker is supervising artisans even though he is not an artisan himself.Zwane says that the company is also “on a mission to address the issue of engineering aides”. There are about 100 of these workers who have worked with artisans for many years. Their weaknesses and strengths are analysed, they are coached in areas where they are weak and then put through trade tests to become fully-fledged artisans.While things are moving on the apprenticeship front, the company is also piloting a learnership programme. Zwane is confident that learnerships will increase. Currently he says there are obstacles to increasing the learnership numbers: “One is the fact that some qualifications have not been registered as NQF qualifications”, but the main one is that learnerships require more person-power to administer. “You need a facilitator, an assessor and two moderators – these are all full-time jobs that we don’t have now.” By contrast, running an apprenticeship programme just requires a training official qualified in that trade.While training is happening at Scaw Metals, shop stewards still feel that more on-the-job training should be done so as to promote those on lower grades, particularly blacks, into higher positions. “We feel management has reservations based on colour; it must address the requirements of the Employment Equity Act and train black people to fill roles at higher positions. Now if a white manager leaves, they just freeze the post or put in white women instead of blacks. Currently there are positions available in the Buying Department – we want those inside to be given a chance to get those jobs.”
Training briefsThe deadline for companies to submit information on how many learners, apprentices they plan to train next year and in which skills programmes, is fast approaching. If your company wants to claim these discretionary grants for 2007, they must send in their plans by December 15. No late submissions will be accepted.Remember: * All companies that pay the skills levy can claim discretionary grants. Companies that are too small to pay the levy can also apply for discretionary grants as long as they fall under the Merseta’s sectors. It does not have to be paying levies to the Merseta!* Discretionary grants cover Adult Basic Education, learnerships, apprenticeships.
Training committees get a boostIt was time for a lot of soul-searching when Numsa’s Wits Central West region called a meeting to re-launch their regional training committee.”What went wrong Numsa?” Numsa Training coordinator, Malebo Mogopodi, asked the delegates present. “Numsa comrades were leading, it (training) was your baby, but something went wrong.”Stressing that all workers could find themselves on the streets tomorrow, she said that without training, workers are nothing.Regional chairperson, Gordon Nqweshi, assured those present that this regional training structure “was not going to collapse like local training committees.”
Wits Central West members commit themselves to taking up training issues: J Grice
ABET offerEskom is offering anyone living in the East London, King Williamstown and Adelaide areas who is unemployed and has not completed Standard 8 (Grade 10) to take part in their ABET courses to be run from January 15 to November 30 2007. Eskom will also be offering places for those who want to complete Standard 10 (matric). Classes will take place from Monday to Thursday from 17h00 to 19h00 (other times can also be negotiated).All learners will be assessed to see which level ABET they must study before they are placed.Courses will be offered free by the Department of Education.If you are interested please phone:Siphiwo Mafilika (Gift), Eskom’s ABET Co-ordinator onTel: 043 – 6425885Fax: 043 – 6424195mafilis@eskom.co.za Pabx: 8722 – 2234Cell: 072 236 2711
Dear Numsa News I was in Numsa but now I am the Merseta Labour Coordinator in the Eastern Cape.I must thank the labour contingent in Merseta for giving birth to the Labour Coordinator project. First I must commend Numsa for the inroads you have made to design a good framework for skills development through your participation in Merseta. However the inroads that have been made do not find adequate expression on the ground due to the lack of responsive education that is specific and directed to workers’ needs. This manifests itself in the poor engagement of workers when it comes to skills development and employment equity related issues.As labour coordinators our role is limited to skills development programmes. But there are fundamental areas in the Employment Equity Act such as the succession plan and recruitment policies which we cannot encroach on.I want to appeal to Numsa to develop its own frame-work of engagement when it comes to skills development and employment equity.Numsa must develop a programme of action that says what the Training Committees must achieve. I am raising these issues comrades because almost 90% of these committees have no programmes and they are sleeping, the shop stewards do not know what is to be programmed.Thembinkosi Rawula
Dear cde RawulaThe Numsa Education Conference in 2005 mandated the Union to develop a course for shop stewards that would show the links between the Employment Equity Act and the Skills Development Act so that shop stewards could use these two Acts together. We began the process of developing materials this year and are hoping to finalise the material for a pilot workshop by the middle of 2007. Thank you for including suggestions on how training and equity committees could be constituted and what jobs they should take up. These details have been left out of this newsletter but they will be used by the team developing materials.The issue of developing a programme of action for the training committees to achieve is one of the issues that the Numsa Central Committee will discuss in December – editor
Get your Numsa cap, t-shirt etc from Zabalaza PromotionsContact Sam on: 011-333 9242 or 082 965 8173