Road industry needs skills development

The need for the development of skills and further education in the road industry is imperative, says South African Road Federation (SARF) operations director Basil Jonsson.

“South Africa has lost many skilled civil engineers over the past decade, which has left a skills gap,” he notes.

With the number of older and experienced engineers rapidly declining, and fewer experienced engineers remaining and a larger number of young, inexperienced engineers, Jonsson believes that the need for mentoring and in-depth training is imperative.

To ensure that training can be attained, the SARF currently offers 54 virtual technical training courses that have been accredited by Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) for continuing professional development (CPD) points to further develop technical skills in the roads industry.

“The presenters who are delivering the courses are subject experts, and the courses that we offer are in depth and practical, providing attendees with a much broader and greater understanding of the topic,” explains Jonsson.

There are also new, innovative courses, such as the pavement rehabilitation course, which teaches the best practices of repurposing old, existing roads; reusing recycled materials; and using additional bituminous material to construct a new road.

New Approach The Covid-19 pandemic forced the SARF to restructure all its in-person courses into virtual courses that have been reaccredited by ECSA for e-learning CPD points, and the attendance for these courses has been good, notes Jonsson.

The federation has also introduced training courses for engineers on the new Committee of Transport Officials (Coto) document, which was released at the end of 2020, and comprises 11 different courses.

This Coto document has replaced the 1998 edition and contains the standard specifications for road and bridge works for South African road authorities. The document comprises 20 chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of road or bridge construction, says Jonsson.

“The SARF approached the lead engineer for every chapter of the Coto document to develop the course on that specific chapter of the document,” he adds.

Moreover, to address the need for skills in the road industry, SARF has awarded between 15 and 20 study grants a year since 2010. This grant funding assists young aspirant civil and transport engineers to complete their studies at university or university of technology.