Engine, filtration and genset manufacturer Cummins Africa Middle East and earthmoving, mining, construction and utility equipment manufacturer Komatsu Africa have teamed up to bring the first Technical Education for Communities (TEC) programme to South Africa.

Inaugurated within the Sedibeng Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College, in Sebokeng, the TEC programme will see about 30 students undergo a three-year, market-relevant industry, training programme, along with the practical experience needed to develop the required technical skills.

The curriculum, which also provides for teacher training and career guidance, includes basic mechanical, electrical and computer skills, as well as soft skills and workplace experience.

This will culminate in opportunities for internships at the companies for a selected numbers of students.

Both Cummins and Komatsu donated engines to the college to ensure the students obtain realistic practical experience.

“Through this TEC initiative, students will develop a comprehensive set of tools to improve their job prospects in the technical industry,” says Cummins Africa Middle East VP and MD Gino Butera.

TEC is a global initiative that targets technical skills gaps through local vocational education programmes, with initiatives established in 19 schools in 11 countries since 2012 through partnerships with business, government and communities.

The Sedibeng TVET College became the twentieth school to fall under the auspices of the programme and the third TEC initiative on the African continent, after Morocco and Nigeria.

Globally, employers are experiencing critical shortages of skilled technical workers, with about ten-million manufacturing jobs worldwide unfilled, owing to a shortage of technical capabilities and soft skills, Butera highlights.

The local version was borne out of an agreement signed by Butera and Komatsu Africa MD Mike Blom in October 2017, and builds off a global corporate responsibility agreement that was signed by Cummins and Komatsu in June 2016.

The global agreement established general guidelines and a framework for Komatsu and Cummins to form, co-develop and implement late secondary or postsecondary vocational education programmes globally.