MOTORING REPORTER
PORT ELIZABETH – VOLKSWAGEN Group South Africa and the Office of the Premier of the Eastern Cape, have jointly initiated a programme
that will train 100 unemployed people in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
The R20 million funding is being used to provide training for specialist skills such as advanced PLC and robotics, vehicle electronics,
applications and product development.
The fund will also be utilised to upgrade training facilities and equ’ipment. Emmitewrs Trainees will undergo a 13 week training programme that will cover
fundamental skills such as the correct use of hand tools and lean manufacturing.
Thereafter, they will take part on the job production training.
The training has already started, with the first 30 trainees currently attending fundamental skills classes.
The training programme is linked to four unit standards within the Automotive Manufacturing Qualification and will give trainees 28 credits
towards a future qualification.
The trainees are aged between 27 and 50 years, are grateful for the opportunity to be trained.
Thomas Schaefer, VWSAChairman and Managing Director, says they are delighted to partner with the Office of the Premier of the Eastern Cape to
train some of the unemployed people in the metro.
“Training and the upskilling is vitally important to give people a chance to enter the formal job market,” says Schaefer.
In December last year, VWSA and the Office of the Premier of the Eastern Cape, signed a funding agreement to support VWSA’s training initiatives.
–Guardian