African Education Week to Look at How Artisans Are Needed to Help Grow the South African Economy
Summary
This plan focuses on reducing poverty and inequality by 2013 and crucial to attaining to these goals is the stated aim of training at least 30 000 qualified artisans annually.He explains that while artisans can earn quite high salaries, there is still a stigma attached to the trades which also impacts negatively on how the Further Education and Training (FET) colleges are viewed.This means that government should do more to structure incentive mechanisms to the benefit of all parties.” Too much emphasis on university degree Horst Weinert, managing director of Festo Didactics, says there is concern that the average age of South African artisans is 50.“Highly skilled artisans are in short supply and those who can deliver the goods can basically determine their own salaries.” His advice to people who are set on obtaining a university degree in fields such as engineering is to enroll at an FET college for at least one year.We need more enrolments at FET colleges.”According to Weinert, artisans can demand monthly salaries of up to R50 000 and more.“Highly skilled artisans are in short supply and those who can deliver the goods can basically determine their own salaries.”His advice to people who are set on obtaining a university degree in fields such as engineering is to enroll at an FET college for at least one year.“This practical training obtained at a FET college will enable the student to fly through university.”Although the trades are dominated by men, Weinert says there are many opportunities for women in field such as fitting and turning, instrumentation mechanisation and mechatronics – a multidisciplinary field of engineering which combines mechanical, control, electrical and computer engineering.