IFT Academy trains its eyes on broader horizons
September 3, 2009
By Thabiso Mochiko
Sean Jones and Mandisa Nyathikazi are expanding their engineering skills academy following the success of their first training centre in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, and encouraged by the demand for certified artisans.
Nyathikazi, who has a teacher's qualification, teamed up with Jones, who had been involvement in skills development for some time, to buy Ikaya Fundisa Techniskills (IFT) Academy last year after receiving a R20 million loan from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
They plan to expand their business to three provinces and to neighbouring countries.
The academy provides training to people who want to be fitters and turners, die makers, electricians, millwrights, welders, boiler makers and sheet metal workers. In addition, they train petrol and diesel mechanics, tractor mechanics, forklift mechanics, auto electricians and earth moving equipment mechanics.
The training programmes take two to three years, but the designer courses for specific corporate clients will take up to six months.
The R20m loan from the IDC was also used to upgrade the academy's training facility in Roodepoort, which accommodates 280 people.
The centre has a fully equipped canteen, a gym and general sporting activities.
"The loan from IDC allowed us to kick-start our dream and enabled us to move on to our second phase, which saw us open a training centre at Crown Mines," said Jones. "This facility has the capacity to train up to 50 artisans at any point in time."
He said satellite centres would be opened in KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape next year. Zambia and the Western Cape would follow in 2011.
"There is a global shortage of technical skills and the effects of the current recession will just serve to create a blip on the radar screen," said Jones. "We are looking at a massive skills shortage. It is a major problem."
He added that the academy's current clients could fast-track the company's plans to expand further into southern Africa, especially if those companies have operations in the region.
The company would need up to R40m for its expansion outside the country.
Meanwhile, work is pouring in as companies show a willingness to improve the technical skills of their employees.
The academy was recently asked by one of its clients to set up a training facility in Zambia.
Nyathikazi said the expansion plans would be funded from cash and borrowings, adding that the company was still "in ongoing talks with IDC", which sits on the IFT Academy's board.
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