Trade union Solidarity’s artisan training college, Sol-Tech, will move to a new campus in Booysens, Pretoria West, at the end of next month, which will enable it to accommodate all its operations on one campus and add an extra trade to its offering, says Sol-Tech MD Paul van Deventer.

However, this campus will serve only as a temporary base while Sol-Tech’s new R150-million permanent campus, earmarked for establishment next to the Waterkloof Airforce Base, in Centurion, is under construction.

Sol-Tech aims to move to the new permanent campus within the next two to three years.

“We currently accommodate between 700 and 1 000 students a year and the need for training is growing exponentially. “Our new campus, in Centurion, will be three to four times larger than our current facility and will, therefore, accommodate many more students,” he tells Mining Weekly, adding that this campus will also accommodate Akademia, Solidarity’s higher education training institution.

Van Deventer states that Solidarity, as a union, is ideally positioned to be involved in training. Apart from the traditional union function to protect employees in the workplace, Solidarity offers its members and their children access to high-quality medical care, financial services, civil rights protection and social support.

“In the past, training was done by large companies such as telecom- munications group Telkom, energy and chemicals company Sasol, State-owned power utility Eskom and many mining companies, which trained more artisans than they needed, supplying the market with skilled workers. “However, these large companies have downscaled to such an extent that they now only train enough workers for their own needs.”

Further, many private training colleges have also closed down, leading to a shortage of skilled workers, he adds.

Sol-Tech currently trains five types of artisans – electricians, fitters and turners, diesel mechanics, millwrights and tool- and die-makers.

“After our students have qualified, Sol-Tech assists them in finding appropriate workplaces for their practical work experience to complete their apprenticeship. Employers play an important role in artisan training, as practical experience is key,” says Van Deventer.

He adds that Sol-Tech is fortunate as it has a good relationship with many employers through Solidarity. “Because of the scarcity of skills in Africa, specifically in the trades in which our students receive training, employers are willing to participate in the training process.”

Between 300 and 400 employers are involved in Sol-Tech’s apprenticeship scheme.

“We are not aware of any of our students not being able to find employment,” he points out.

Meanwhile, Sol-Tech is proud of its students’ 96% pass rate in the national trade test on their first attempt, Van Deventer says.

Sol-Tech’s students are also doing well in the workplace, which Van Deventer states is the result of the college’s holistic approach to training.

“While our main focus is technical training, we also provide our students with some leadership and entrepreneurship training, which makes them more well-rounded employees,” Van Deventer says.

He points out that, while Sol-Tech gives preference to Solidarity members and their children, the college is open to the public.

“We are focused on the quality of the service we provide and will gladly work with other training colleges that provide quality training. “While we are an Afrikaans college, we welcome and try to accommodate English students and, should we not be able to accommodate them, we refer them to another college that provides training of the same standard as Sol-Tech’s,” he concludes.