The Centre of Specialisation Programme was officially kick-started in March 2019 with the first cohort of 649 apprentices onboarded and inducted by host employers.

The group makes up 83% of the projected 780 apprentices for the first intake in the artisanal development programme being rolled out at 26 technical vocational education and training (TVET) campuses in 2019.

The Centre of Specialisation is a national programme aimed at building the capacity of the public TVET college system to deliver trade qualifications while building the much-needed skills for Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs).

A total of 26 campuses across the country were training apprentices in 13 critical trades and occupations that are in short supply for various infrastructure development and the economic needs of South Africa in general.

Four employer associations, namely: the Retail Motor Industry, Steel and Engineering Industry Federation, Institute of Plumbing and South African Institute of Welding, are part of this ground-breaking initiative.

The apprentices have signed three-year apprenticeship contracts as part of the on-the-job learning at host employers and will undergo theoretical and simulated practical learning in the refurbished, fully equipped Centre of Specialisation workshops at the TVET colleges.

This article was published in the NSF 2018/19 Annual Report