On the economic brink to becoming a true premier league player or sinking into second league, the investment in education and skills, especially mathematics and sciences, is key to tipping the point for South Africa
The 4th International Conference on Engineering and Business Education (ICEBE) and the 1st International SAFRI Journey to Excellence Conference (SAFRI J2EX) at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) this week, focuses on engineering, business education and how to succeed in the 21st Century knowledge economy. Michael Baumann, CEO of MTU South Africa (Pty) Ltd, will be one of the key plenary speakers at the Conference.
MTU South Africa is a subsidiary of the German Tognum Group and has long acknowledged the importance of education and skills training, hence in 2007 the Tognum subsidiary, restarted their own Apprentice Programme. It is based on the German “Duales System”, which is a combination of a practical and theoretical structured programme, to train future artisans on the intricacies of engine assembly and servicing. The system is facilitated by qualified technicians from MTU South Africa and external trainers.
An important investment
Key-note speaker at the Conference, Trevor Manuel, Minister in The Presidency: National Planning Commission said: “50 per cent of South Africa’s young people are unemployed and 60 per cent of them have never worked before. Therefore, the investment in young engineers is fundamentally important, for business as well as for job-creation. What needs to be done is to place engineering at the cutting edge of innovation through partnerships between professional institutions and schools.” He concludes that he is a big fan of the “Duales System”.
A key plenary speaker at the Conference, Michael Baumann says: “When I took over as CEO of MTU South Africa in 2006, we saw a lack of young qualified artisans. For that reason we started a four-year program in which eventually 20 artisans would be fully trained and five would qualify each year with a South African and later even possibly a German qualification. This was done to model one of Germany’s key competitive advantages – the trademark “Made in Germany” and the quality aspiration that it holds.”
Approaching a job
Speaking on how South African businesses could be enticed to further invest in education and skills development, Baumann says: “We have found that it’s not only about the skills of turning a spanner, however, it is also about the values of how to approach a job. Therefore, education programmes should start at a young age, involving learners straight from matric as in that phase of their lives values can be instilled. One way for the South African Government to swiftly increase training opportunities within the industry, would be by increasing the value of such training on the BEE scorecard for companies.”
The apprenticeship is a German concept based on the dual training system – combining theory and practice. The training is facilitated by a dedicated apprentice trainer who has to ensure that each training module is covered by all apprentices. Training is guided by experienced senior artisans and qualified engineers, as well as outside vocational college courses offered by recognised educational institutions. Once trained and qualified as diesel fitters, the artisans will be placed in the diesel repair and maintenance fields of MTU in Sub Saharan Africa.
From 2012, the curriculum is planned to change from diesel fitters to mechatronics as the portion of electronic components onboard diesel engines is ever increasing. This shift will be in cooperation with relevant German accreditation authorities, with the aim of a full accreditation by the relevant South African authorities and a German training programme. If successful, the apprentices will receive not only a South African qualification, but also a German trade certificate.
