Presentation at AgriSeta Conference – 16 September 2010

BIWA (Bursaries, Internships, Workplace Experience, Apprenticeships) – A Sugar Industry Perspective

Introduction

  • Sugar Industry commitment to skills development
  • Proactive – understand the need and the potential
  • Training Centre for the Industry
  • South African Sugar Research Institute

Overview of the Sugar Industry

  • One of the world’s leading producers
  • Important contributor to employment
  • Diverse industry – cultivation and manufacture
  • Raw and refined sugars
  • Syrups
  • Specialised sugars
  • By-products
  • 35 300 registered farmers (>33 700 small scale)
  • 6 milling companies and 14 sugar mills
  • Produces approx 2.2million tons sugar per annum
  • About 60% marketed in the SA Customs Union (SACU)
  • 40% exported to markets in Africa, Asia & Middle East
  • Generates estimated ave direct income of R8billion
  • Employment in cane production and processing
  • Approx 77 000 jobs in direct employment
  • Approx 350 000 indirect employment
  • Approximately 1million people or 2% of the population depend on the sugar industry for a living
  • Milling employs in excess of 7000 people

Linkage with AgriSeta

  • Funding – assistance with bulking up
  • Scarce skills – business needs
  • The size of the pie not big enough to feed the need
  • Funding obtained for:
  • Bursaries
  • Workplace Experience
  • Experiential Learning
  • Apprenticeships
  • Formal, recognised learnership Programmes
  • Internships
  • Skills Programmes
  • Development in Agriculture
  • SMRI (Sugar Milling Research Institute) – EIT (Engineer in Training Programme)

SASRI – South African Sugarcane Research Institute

  • World renowned for research into development of new varieties
  • Improved crop management and farming systems
  • Enhance productivity and profitability
  • National shortage of advanced skills in science and technology
  • Wealth of graduates with no work experience
  • Young unemployed graduates
  • Research Internship programme – 10 to 15 grads annually
  • BSc & BTech in Micriobology, Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, etc
  • Unique to the country
  • Accomplished scientists under the mentorship of world renowned scientists who are experts in their field
  • Current focus on Black Female
  • Study done on research of interns show that they are set on a pivotal career path with CSIR, MRC, Lab operators in various parts of the country – highly sought after
  • In progress for 15 years, and funded assistance on the internship programme from the AgriSeta for the last 3 years – helped with increasing the numbers
  • Some doing post grad studies such as MSc.
  • Residences, on sight, immersion

FARMING (primary) – DEVELOPMENT

  • Strong primary presence
  • Farming – primary business activities
  • Shukela Training Centre primary service provider for both farming and milling skills provision
  • Farm workers and farm managers – wide range of skills
  • Cane cutting / crop agriculture / tractor maintenance skills
  • Recently AgriSeta has come on board with providing funding
  • Skilling of new entrants, i.e. black growers who are land owners who need a full range of skills to become successful farm owners
  • AgriSeta enabling the industry to reach more new entrants than otherwise possible
  • New Plant Production Learnership at NQF Level 4 developed – funded by the AgriSeta
  • In 3rd year of operation
  • Approx 20 people per annum. In 4th year of operation with some 100 learners qualified because of the direct assistance of the Seta
  • This training is essential to the success of the industry and the country’s land reform process
  • Previously an industry funded initiative
  • AgriSeta now a valuable partner
  • Currently have a Sugar Cane Production Certificate – junior and senior, for capacity building – possible future funding assistance from the Seta
  • Individual companies also sponsored, e.g. Tongaat Hulett receives funding for Farm Manager bursaries and formal development programmes
  • ALDP – Agric Leadership Development Programme – 1 year programme through the University of Pretoria, funded by AgriSeta

MILLING (secondary)

  • Shukela Training Centre – long provided engineering, maintenance and artisan skills to the industry. Opened in 1974
  • 60% of training done for other industries as well
  • Recognised as an ISOE by the AgriSeta (one of 5)
  • STC also accredited by Merseta and Chieta
  • Assisted with increasing the number of apprentices being trained by the AgriSeta
  • Going back, the introduction of learnerships and the abandonment of apprenticeships in the early 2000’s resulted in much confusion.
  • A pilot learnership was run but was fraught with difficulties even though the concept was being embraced by employers. Finally the learners did the section 28 trade test in 2004 in order to complete this project.
  • Since the SDA has supported the concept of apprenticeships, this has created opportunities for employers to recruit and train apprentices. Currently, there are approximately 180 appies being trained at the Shukela Training Centre. 7 of these are Training Centre learners, funded by the Seta. Tongaat Hulett has about 70 appies, with some of them funded by the AgriSeta. This funding has enabled both the industry and individual organisations to build a pipeline of skills and to bulk up in accordance with the provision of funding, thereby supporting the national skills development imperative
  • The trade tests have gone through a national reform and we look forward to the implementation of the revised trade test soon.
  • The advent of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations talks about a national artisan body. We believe this is a step in the right direction, and our training centre is looking forward to working with this body to achieve 2 main objectives:
  • To improve the validation and credibility of trade tests
  • To further enhance the qualification of an artisan to be more meaningful in order to attract more people into these critical and scarce skills
  • It is critical that the relationship between the Shukela Training Centre, the milling and farming companies remains positive and mutually beneficial to the outcomes required by the National Skills Development Strategy. The NSDS is critical to the achievement of skills in SA and hence the alignment of training provider and training authority goals and objectives are critical. After all, it is all about the learner.
  • Other critical skills sponsored by the AgriSeta are bursaries for engineers in the fields of chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering and Food Technology
  • The formal training programmes are also funded in the form of In service training for National Diplomates who are required to do a year of practical training. In addition, workplace experience being funded is for that of unemployed graduates, in order to provide them with the necessary experience in order to equip them to become employable.

J BHANA