Murray & Roberts Plant, a division of Murray & Roberts Construction, is running a thriving apprenticeship programme aligned with Section 13 of the Manpower Training Act 56 of 1981, with about 30 apprentices currently enrolled at various stages of the four-year programme. Four different apprenticeships are on offer: earthmoving equipment mechanics, auto electrics, boiler making and heavy current electrics. According to the Act, a Section 13 apprenticeship allows registered candidates to take a trade test as a final evaluation. Section 13 apprentices have a contract of apprenticeship and attend formal institutionalised training, as well as practical on-site Murray & Roberts Plant, a division of Murray & Roberts Construction, is running a thriving apprenticeship programme aligned with Section 13 of the Manpower Training Act 56 of 1981, with about 30 apprentices currently enrolled at various stages of the four-year programme.training.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The Murray & Roberts Plant apprenticeship programme was launched in January 2010 and has recruited candidates countrywide from the available pool of learners who have a National Certificate of Vocation at Level 3 or 4, with Maths. Applications are carefully reviewed and only selected learners interviewed, with the most promising sent for technical assessments to evaluate their potential to succeed in their chosen programme. About 80% of the current apprentices are previously disadvantaged South Africans, with several female candidates also on board.

The company has made a significant investment into the apprenticeship programme, which seeks to strike the required balance between theory and practice. In line with the formal structure of the Section 13 apprenticeship, the programme is strictly competency-based and includes a theoretical component that is completed at an accredited college, alongside a practical section, during which learners participate in activities at our on-site workshop or at off-site projects.

“To help address the dire need for scarce and critical skills identified by the government, we believe our apprenticeship programme will play an important role in producing artisans proficient in a wide variety of techniques and capable of continually producing high quality workmanship,” Murray & Roberts Plant managing director, Jim Wiggins, says. “Successful graduates from the course have the opportunity to be considered for employment with us and indeed have the competitive edge of being well versed in the company’s culture, quality, safety and performance requirements.”

Enterprise Development
Complementing its investment into the national artisan skills pool and into small entrepreneurial enterprises, Murray & Roberts Plant is putting energy into its own Enterprise Development programme. “Our approach is hands-on involvement in developing a business owned and managed by a previously disadvantaged entrepreneur, rather than simply allocating a sum of money to an organisation which would undertake this kind of development initiative on our behalf,” Jeremy Hallett, financial manager at Murray & Roberts Plant, says. “For us, it’s not just a matter of accruing points on a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment scorecard, but about making a positive and tangible impact in our industry with beneficial repercussions well into the future.”

A recent success story is the company’s partnership with Eastern Cape Tyres, founded and managed by Matthew Nondawyi. The fledgling tyre company operates from Murray & Roberts Plant’s premises and uses the company’s facilities. Nondawyi is encouraged and supported in his effort to expand his business in the industry, deepen his expertise and provide services for other construction and engineering companies. Eastern Cape Tyres trades under the name of Tyre Zone in Gauteng.

Murray & Roberts Plant
Murray & Roberts Plant specialises in the procurement, maintenance, repair and management of construction plant and equipment used on Murray & Roberts Construction’s civil, building, roads and earthworks, marine and mining projects. The company’s extremely broad range of equipment currently numbers about 1 400 individual items of specialist and generalist equipment.