The Construction Industry Construction (CIC) partnered with DIVT in trade testing in its endeavour to improve skilled workers in the country. The CIC has supported three groups of low-skilled artisans to take part in Grade III electrical wireman trade test. The trade test funded by the CIC began on March 18 and will ended on March 21.

Prior to the trade test, the CIC has funded the three groups to undertake a skills gap assessment by independent instructors from the Eswatini National Handicraft Training Centre. The assessment took a period of 6 days and the assessment is very crucial in identifying gaps in the competencies of the artisans and working on their weaknesses to ensure the candidates pass the trade test. The passing rate for trade test is usually very low as candidates are overcome by exam fever and environmental shock at the trade testing workshop.

The CIC has procured consumable materials to be used in the skills gap assessment and also during the trade test. The materials include conductors, conduit pipes, cables, ferrules etc. The CIC will also fund sitting and travel allowances and hospitality for the DIVT assessors and supporting staff. The grade III electrical trade test takes one day and each group is made of 16 candidates. The registration fee per candidate is E500.00. For the CIC sponsored candidates, they had to pay registration fee of E200.00 as commitment fee while CIC settled the balance. The assessment team from DIVT comprised of 4 experts selected from industry and local colleges and another 4 assistants to provide any needed support to the panels and candidates.

The mandate for CIC is to develop and build capacity of the construction industry in Eswatini. The main aim being skill enhancement to address the skills gap prevailing in the construction industry to attain the goal of infrastructure development. Their mandate extend to regulating, developing and promoting the construction industry for the benefit of all stakeholders through developing regulations and ensuring compliance, research, development, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement, thus improving the socio-economic status of the country.

For the past three years, the CIC have supported 434 Swazis with trade testing in various trades like Carpentry, Plumbing, Blocklaying and Electrical Wireman. Their focus is more on the less disadvantaged or those at the entry level of their skill as all their beneficiaries had been Grade III candidates. The candidates are identified through collaboration with DIVT, their social media platforms, Radio channel at VOC every Tuesday, 1830hrs and newspaper advertisement before the test dates. The candidates are registered on a first come first save basis as per the number needed.

Beginning on the year 2020/23 onwards CIC requested the candidates to register with the Council and some individual artisans had been identified through the construction training centres like the Manzini Industrial Training Institute (MITC). Candidates wishing to get more information on how CIC can help on trade testing can contact them at 78021770. Females are encouraged to apply and the gender equity in skills is very worrying as there were less than 5 females among the 48 artisan who recently took the Grade III electrical wireman trade test. The Grade III trade test is open to artisans with the relevant skill and experience required (3 years-experience working in the industry).

The DIVT director Mr. Earnest Simelane commended CIC for supporting the DIVT on its mandate to trade test the local workforce. He encouraged other companies to support government in trade tests and reported that the DIVT does not make any profit from trade testing and further shared that the registration fees paid by candidates does not even cover the cost of materials used in trade tests. The materials used in trade tests and the allowances paid to the trade testing panel are actually government subventions given to the DIVT.  As a result, he said there is a backlog of thousands of candidates waiting for trade test. He also thanked the Taiwan Technical Mission’s Technical and Vocational Skills Certification Enhancement Project for their continued support in funding trade tests and upgrading the workshops at DIVT, ECOT and Gwamile VOCTIM.