Finance and Economic Opportunities

The Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) invested in the Artisan Development Programme in response to the need for technical and vocational skills required to support the Western Cape economy.

This initiative was supported through the South African Oil and Gas Alliance (SAOGA), noting that after obtaining the theoretical requirements at a Technical Vocational Education and Training College, apprentices are required to spend up to 18 months at companies to gain workplace experience.

Over the period (2014 to 2019) the Department, with partners have placed over 1500 youth with host companies in the manufacturing and construction industries through SAOGA.

An artisanal qualification includes:

• A minimum of N2 Certificate;
• Completed a period of (mostly 18 months) experiential learning in industry under the supervision of a qualified artisan;
• Although Competency Based Modular Training (practical training) is not a requirement, most of the apprentices have completed up to 3 phases of applied learning; and
• Have completed and signed-off logbooks, specific to the respective trade.

The candidates that have completed their respective trades with the ‘red seal’ have done so at an accredited Trade Assessment Centre. These candidates have been qualified in the following trades: Electricians, Plumbers, Boilermakers, Welders, Carpenters; Fitters, Bricklayers and Toolmakers.

At the Provincial level, although the National Artisan Development Steering Committee (NADSC), data is collected on artisanal candidates entering industry and completing their apprenticeships. Table 1 shows the apprentices entering industry and those finishing between the period 2016/17 and 2018/19 in the Western Cape.

Table 1: Artisans entering and completing their Apprenticeships

The table highlighted in the document takes account of apprentices in a particular academic year and may extend beyond the reporting period. Therefore of importance, is the number of apprentices completing within a financial year, as there will always be an overlap in apprentices entering and completing within a particular academic year.

The Department does not track the apprentices post the Department’s interventions, due to the intensity of resource requirements.

The Department does not track the apprentices post the Department’s interventions, due to the intensity of resource requirements.

However, in a recent tracking study to determine employment efficiencies over the past 3 years, 160 participants who qualified between 2017 and 2019 were contacted, to determine if they were employed post their trade tests. 

The survey provided the following information:

• 95% were employed;
• 75% were male and 25% were female;
• 56% were between 21 and 25 years of age and 44% were between 26 and 35 years of age; and
• 51% were African, 48% were Coloured and 1% were White.

It should be noted that the three Project Khulisa sectors were only introduced in 2016/17 and therefore data collection on these sectors is limited to this time period as per the response.