DAMEN Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) has been honoured to receive an award from the higher education and training establishment Northlink College. The award is a certificate of appreciation recognising DSCT’s role in committing to train some of the first ‘occupation qualification’ apprentices under what was then a new programme launched by the DHET (Department of Higher Education & Training) in January 2019.
Northlink commended DSCT for taking part in this programme from the beginning, when its future was still uncertain and its success yet to be demonstrated. DSCT was one of the first companies in South Africa to embrace this new apprenticeship scheme, the COS programme (Centres of Specialisation), at a time when it was still an unproven concept. Only recently has it become mainstream. Working in partnership with Northlink College, the first Damen apprentices successfully qualified in the COS Fitting & Turning programme, the first of its kind in South Africa.
Each participant takes part in a three-to-four-year programme that ensures that, on completion, they are competent in their trade. 50% of their time is spent in the college and 50% in the workplace on a rotational basis. 36 individuals are currently in the programme, across eight trades. As well as fitting & turning, trades available include pipe fitting, welding, boiler making, plumbing, electrical, rigging and mechanical fitting. Over 90% of the trainees choose to accept full time jobs at DSCT once they have completed their courses.
The college teaches the theoretical side of the roles and basic training in the underlying skills,” explains Abdullah Galant, Technical Training Officer at DSCT, “while DSCT provides the real-world exposure to applying those skills in the workplace as well as basic training in safety, firefighting and other essential procedures. New skills like carpentry are likely to be added over time. We now work with four colleges in total and many of the trainers are former employees of DSCT.”
Damen Shipyards Group – Oceans of Possibilities
Damen Shipyards Group has been in operation for over ninety years and offers maritime solutions worldwide, through design, construction, conversion and repair of ships and ship components. By integrating systems we create innovative, high quality platforms, which provide our customers with maximum added value.
DSCT Training Centre
In response to the skills gap identified within the South African maritime industry in 2010, DSCT launched a Training Centre for apprentices to be trained on building vessels to Damen standards, for Damen.
Since its launch, the Training Centre has produced 127 qualified artisans through apprenticeships, work placements and ARPL (Artisans Recognition of Prior Learning) programmes, with 24 of these artisans being female. Currently, the Training Centre accommodates 36 apprentices and offers trades in Boilermaking, Welding, Mechanical Fitting, Electrical, Fitting and Turning, Plumbing and Rigging.
Work placement at DSCT is offered to students from FET colleges who require hands-on experience in order to receive their qualifications. A great deal of thanks is owed to the various SETAs and FET colleges who have served as reliable sources for apprentices.
