Building local skills to grow manufacturing sector

Technology and service supplier FLSmidth affirms its commitment to growing the manufacturing sector and its support base across the African continent through its investment in skills development at its dedicated training academy in Chloorkop, Gauteng.

“Our considerable investment in skills development nurtures local talent to provide us with a strong pipeline of relevant and quality expertise,” says FLSmidth Training Academy head Steve Parkinson. “This knowledge base is shared within FLSmidth not only across the continent but globally. At the same time, we invariably train more people than we can absorb, so we provide a rich resource of trained individuals for other players in the local mining and engineering sectors – including our customers and competitors.”

The company explains that it undertakes a rigorous selection process countrywide that targets unemployed youth under 26 years old, selecting 10 apprentices to be enrolled at the academy every year. The apprentices spend three years in formalised training towards an artisan qualification. FLSmidth says it employs as many of the graduates as possible and tries to find placements for those it is unable to absorb into the company. 

“In this way, we develop our own specialised in-house expertise while creating a skills pipeline that supports the local economy and builds a stronger base for the manufacturing, mining and other sectors,” explains Parkinson.

The company notes that its training is supported by skilled artisans at its Chloorkop Service Centre on the same site, where turnkey refurbishment and repair services are conducted. The centre encompasses a large fabrication shop, an assessment and assembly area, and a heavy machining section with both conventional and computer numerical control, or CNC, equipment.

FLSmidth also hosts a two-year engineering graduate internship programme, where it develops graduates in disciplines such as mechanical, chemical and metallurgical engineering. Each intern is supervised by an FLSmidth engineer working in the relevant field.

A further training programme being offered is a two-year learnership that FLSmidth conducts in collaboration with the Southern African-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The commercial apprenticeship training scheme, or CATS, culminates in an Institute of Certified Bookkeepers qualification at Level 5 in South Africa, as well as a German qualification – the Diploma in Industrial Management Assistant.

An IT learnership focussed on computer-based system development skills is also offered for 20 local people with disabilities. In addition, the Training Centre provides staff and customers with product training, including knowledge about products, basic operations,  preventative maintenance, and specialised maintenance.

“The track record of the Training Academy in South Africa has been so successful that we now have valuable experience to share with FLSmidth operations globally,” affirms Parkinson. “Colleagues abroad are able to draw on our model to achieve similar results in their regions. A number of our trainees have, in fact, already been placed in operations abroad, proving the world class quality of our outputs.”