economy
8 August 2007
South Africans should invest heavily in the training of their own people in
skills most needed for the country's growing economy, Labour Minister
Membathisi Mdladlana said today. The Minister made these remarks while visiting
the Fluor Training Centre in Secunda, Mpumalanga where he inspected artisanship
equipment at one of the country's long-standing training facilities.
"We need to rely on ourselves and train as many South African artisans as
possible if we are to keep up with our growing economy. If you do not have
skills of your own and have to rely on foreigners, then that poses a danger for
your economy," he said. Minister Mdladlana said the current scenario of
scattered training centres with different quality evaluations was not good for
artisan skills empowerment.
"It is only through the formation of a single national trade quality council
that involves all labour market players that this anomaly can be corrected. We
need to sit down and discuss very seriously whether we need these scattered
qualification councils or a unitary body for a single nation," he said.
The Minister's visit of the Fluor centre was in line with the government's
efforts to turn the tide in the slow delivery of intermediate artisan and
technical skills for its economic growth drive.
Minister Mdladlana commended the Fluor management for high standards of
safety, saying the fact that the facility had gone over four-million man-hours
without an injury indicated their seriousness in upholding health and safety
standards.
Enquiries:
Zolisa Sigabi
Cell: 082 906 3878
Email: zolisa.sigabi@labour.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Labour
8 August 2007
Source: Department of Labour (http://www.labour.gov.za)
