Giving teenagers a pathway into the workshop could help solve SA's artisan crisis

SOUTH Africa has an urgent problem hiding in plain sight. Our economy requires around 30 000 newly qualified artisans each year to keep infrastructure, construction and industry running, yet the country consistently produces far fewer than that.

- Kevin Buret

The Department of Higher Education and Training has acknowledged that this shortfall is one of the biggest barriers to delivering on the goals of the National Development Plan. Employers across mining, energy, construction and manufacturing regularly highlight the lack of skilled artisans as one of their greatest constraints. Without enough artisans, projects stall, infrastructure weakens and job creation slows.

At the same time, thousands of young South Africans between the ages of 15 and 19 are leaving or drifting through mainstream schooling with limited prospects. Many are labelled as struggling learners or find themselves in environments that do not suit their talents. For these young people, the existing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system is often difficult to access and not always designed with their needs in mind. The result is a generation at risk of joining the country’s already alarming youth unemployment figures.

These two challenges are deeply connected. On one side sits an economy in desperate need of skilled tradespeople. On the other side sits a group of young people searching for a pathway into meaningful work. Bringing them together through a different kind of schooling may be one of the most effective ways of closing the gap.

A trade-focused school designed specifically for this younger age group offers a practical and age-appropriate environment that can change the trajectory of learners and help supply the skills the economy needs.