South Africa’s expanding economy and the widening gap left by experienced toolmakers who have left the industry have resulted in a dire need for students in this field.
That is the consensus among a diverse group of parties who are interested in boosting the numbers of toolmakers in South Africa, and school leavers are increasingly being encouraged to consider toolmaking as a career path.
Every manufacturer in South Africa needs tools, yet the industry is battling to attract young blood. Simthembile Pakkies, assistant project manager of the Tooling Centre of Excellence based in KwaZulu-Natal, said it is surprising that the shortage was so severe, since toolmaking plays a fundamental role in our everyday lives.
“You wear a shirt with buttons and those buttons must be made by a tool. You carry a cellphone and a tool must be used to make that cellphone. You use spice on your food – that spice bottle is made by a tool. A tool makes everything around you. We have estimated that one toolmaker can create jobs for about 14 people,” Pakkies told the Teacher.
The department of education has also noted the crisis and has joined forces with the Toolmakers Association of South Africa (Tasa) to revitalise this crucial industry. And although the initiative to boost the numbers of toolmakers in South Africa is a national one, it is the province of KwaZulu-Natal that is leading the way.
In conjunction with Tasa, the KwaZulu-Natal department of education embarked on a R43-million project to recruit and train young, skilled toolmakers.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for education, Ina Cronje, supports the move to train new toolmakers. “Many school leavers choose wrong career paths, studying courses at tertiary institutions that leave them unemployed. The current demands of the market are hard skills, most of them offered at further education and training (FET) colleges. With 55 as the average age of a toolmaker in South Africa, the need for more and younger toolmakers has become crucial,” she said.
The project has the blessing of manufacturing companies such as Defy and Toyota, which both have plans to draw their toolmakers from The Tooling Centre of Excellence.
The national department of science and technology is equally concerned about the shortage of toolmakers in South Africa. Since 2003 it sent a total of 29 students to train as toolmakers in India.
The move was faciltiated by an inititave of the department, the Tshumisano Trust, which aims to improve and facilitate the innovative capacity and competitiveness of SMMEs in selected economic sectors.
Deputy Minister of the department, Derek Hanekom, said the South African tooling industry as it stands today is working significantly below capacity, and equipment is ageing.
“In addition, South Africa has lost considerable capacity in this field and is currently heavily dependent on imported tooling, currently standing at about R2-billion per annum.
“It is estimated that for every R1-million invested in toolmaking equipment and technology, over R250-million of components could be produced, making the industry a high value-added catalyst in the South African economy.
“But it is clear that the South African tooling industry is currently seriously in decline.”
Reasons for this, said Hanekom, include the erosion of the skills base and competition from global competitors.
“It’s surprising that more school leavers don’t go into toolmaking since it’s such a well-paying field,” said Phillip Mostert, marketing director of Smiths Plastics, a manufacturing company on constant lookout for skilled toolmakers.
“A qualified toolmaker can make R180 to R200 per hour. We have been trying for donkey’s years to get more school leavers into toolmaking. You earn big money. It’s essential, however, that you are technically minded and have matriculated with mathematics and science.”