For over two decades, South Africa has been repairing the imbalances of its past. The Bantu Education system armed many with below average schooling – today’s most basic human right.
This system deprived the largest population of basic skills, such as the critical thinking and problem-solving involved with mathematics and science. Now, the construction industry bears the scars of its recent history. The balance to be attained between academic and skills development taunts the built environment academe. Such skills include the know-how to bid effectively for projects and fulfill them profitably while mitigating risk and creating a means for future businesses – these factors are catalysts for change in a sector paving the way for small and medium enterprises. Small businesses, on the other hand, face numerous obstacles slowing down their sustainable growth and development. These obstacles add to the slowing growth of the smaller, mostly private owned construction companies. Again, education plays a massive role in the attempt to enhance their growth opportunities and to ensure more effective implementation. According the Small Business Institute, in order to “create employment for over nine million people without work, policy makers and regulators must support an environment that is conductive to the growth and competitiveness of South Africa’s small and medium enterprises”.It is evident that empowering small businesses is a critical step towards growing the South African economy.
Thus, in order to assist small and medium enterprises, the African Construction and Totally Concrete Expo will offer two free-to-attend CPD-accredited workshops, taking place from 11 to 13 June 2019 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg. “Our workshops aim to create opportunity for emerging contractors and are designed to boost their participation, both at the event and in the country’s economy, by equipping them with the necessary skills to enhance their daily operations,” explained Kelly Easton, programme director at Africa’s mega construction show. The Architecture Talks and Contractors’ and Transformation Corner will contribute towards transformation in the construction industry and the development of SMME contractors, which have been recognised by government as crucial for industry development, economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation. Workshops will be presented by industry leaders, such as NAFBI, SANIKA and PMSA. “We are co-hosting the NAFBI conference together with the African Construction Expo; within the same venue you will have a national conference of the federation, which brings together about 500 – 600 members from all provinces and as part of that they will also experience the construction expo,” said Aubrey Tshalata the CEO of the National African Federation for the Building Industry (NAFBI) to Buildaid Radio. The expo will also provide ample chances for SMME and main contractors, as well as others working across varied sectors of the industry to network.
