Owing to the massive skills shortage in the pumps industry – from entry level to top management – the South African Pump Manufacturers’ Association (Sapma) will host two two-day courses, in Cape Town, in October.

“Sapma’s aim with these courses is to provide training that will develop the pumps industry holistically and, to achieve this, we have made Sapma membership available to individuals and students and not only companies that form part of the sector,” says Sapma chairperson Thys Wehmeyer.

He notes that this will also expose students to the industry while they develop practical experience in the pumps industry.

As a result of the more inclusive membership, the association’s courses comprise the introductory two-day course and the advanced two-day course to accommodate personnel serving all levels of industry. Each course is limited to a maximum of 20 people to provide an interactive environment for learning.

“These courses are unique, as all the facilitators are qualified professionals who work in industry. This includes professionals from seals, couplings and motor industries, which forms part of the complete pumps set,” he adds.

The courses include a theoretical section and specialised training, which covers the various applications of pumps for the intro- ductory and advanced courses. For this reason, the training is often conducted at the premises of the association’s members, where specialists from the member companies conduct the training.

The introductory course consists of modules on basic pump principles and how a pump works; pump types; pumping systems; intro- duction to net positive suction head; introduction to mechanical seals and gland packing; installation, operation and maintenance; introduction to drives; and basic electricity.

The advanced course consists of modules on hydraulics applied to a pump system; net positive suction head; affinity laws; parallel and series operation; pumping of various fluids and slurries; erosion and corrosion; pump types; electric motors and variable speed drives; submersible and borehole pumps; pump performance testing and pump test demonstration.

“The most recent training course was held in Durban at the premises of one of our member companies, pump manufacturer Sulzer Pumps. This sector-specific expertise ensures that the trainees receive the most recent information and that their questions are answered by an expert,” says Wehmeyer.

He notes that the association aims to market and promote the course to reach other African countries. “We are already seeing growth through the demand in industry for this course, as we have been presenting it throughout the country. We believe that the next step is taking it further into Africa.”

Sapma is working towards accrediting the courses with the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority by the end of this year. Should the courses be accredited, it will help provide an incentive for the facilitators who are facilitating the courses free of charge.

“Also, this will allow us to incorporate retired professionals into the industry and provide them with an incentive to facilitate these courses as demand increases and to impart their knowledge and experience to the trainees,” concludes Wehmeyer.