At Kevin Bates Flooring & Carpeting 16 staff members recently received their certificates for successfully completing the National Certificate in Construction: Installation of Floor Coverings NQF Level 1. This is a formalised training course which has finally been accredited by the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA). CETA administrator, Themba Mhambi, presented the certificates to the successful students at a special ceremony at Kevin Bates’ premises in Johannesburg.
Neil Duncan, director of Kevin Bates, says the company decided in 2009 to embark on an internal training programme for its staff because of the absence of a South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) aligned training programme for the flooring industry. “We had made several unsuccessful attempts to have national training established but eventually decided to initiate our own training programme. We felt such training was essential to provide suitable recognition for the installers on our staff, and to ensure that Kevin Bates will have sufficient skills for the future,” Duncan explains.
The company partnered with Tjeka, an accredited, private FET college, to revive a SAQA-approved – but unused – training course for the floor coverings sector. It provides a basic qualification focussing on either carpet or vinyl floor coverings. Kevin Bates provided the venue for the training which was conducted by Tjeka over 24 months.
“The 16 staff members achieved their qualifications in 2011,” says Duncan. “Among the successful students were 65-year-old Amos Ziyatonga – who has been with our company for 43 years – and his 30-year-old son, Eugene.”
Duncan believes CETA accreditation has wide-ranging benefits for the entire floor coverings industry in South Africa. “There is now a workable training model in place for the 2 500 to 3 000 workers in this industry. It has been an uphill struggle to obtain CETA accreditation – mainly as a result of the internal problems that have existed in CETA – but with the assistance and support of the CETA administrator, Themba Mhambi, this has finally become a reality.”
Kevin Bates is a member of the Gauteng Master Builders Association (GMBA) and James Tubb, executive director of the GMBA, comments: “Kevin Bates is one of our oldest members, but by no means among the biggest. The effort and perseverance that the company has shown in establishing CETA-accredited training for the entire sector in which it operates is highly commendable. It sets an example for other relatively small companies operating in fields where formalised skills training is lacking but urgently required.”
