Bright sparks to showcase their skills in WorldSkills SA Competition
Nine electrical students are in training for the national WorldSkills SA Competition.
Nine young South Africans and two Namibians are ensconced at P&T Technology in Wadeville honing their electrical skills.
And they will be there for the next five weeks.
The youngsters were chosen as the top electrical students in the country after gruelling regional competitions where both their theoretical and practical skills were put to the test.
The regional competitions started with 740 leaners in total which has now been whittled down to nine.
They are in training to compete in the national SA WorldSkills Competition (in the electrical category) which will take place at the Durban ICC from February 22 to 27, next year.
The national competition will see one skilled learner being chosen to represent South Africa in the electrical category at the WorldSkills Competition in Kazan, Russia, next year, from August 29 to September 3.
The competition sees competitors from all over the world pit their skills against each other to be crowned the victors.
Managing director of P&T Technology, and the man who is preparing the learners for the competition, Nick du Plessis said, “The WorldSkills Competition can be described as the Olympics of artisans, with opening and closing ceremonies and gold, silver and bronze medals being awarded in a large amount of skill areas.”
Nick is a master installation electrician and has also studied training and development.
“I have been training apprentices for 34 years and started P&T 14 years ago,” he said.
His company offers a host of services which include, but are not limited to, apprenticeship training, wireman’s licence training, building automation training, trade tests for electrical, trade test preparation in electrical, millwright, mechanical fitter and instrument mechanician, short courses in safety in the workplace, foreign qualification verification (practical evaluation), single phase assessment programme, installation rules and psychometric assessments (on site).
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The WorldSkills Competition takes place every two years and is the biggest vocational education and skills excellence event in the world that truly reflects global industry.
The competitors represent the best of their peers and are selected from skills competitions in WorldSkills member countries.
They demonstrate technical abilities both individually and collectively to execute specific tasks for which they study and/or perform in their workplace.
Nick has been involved in preparing competitors since 2013 and has also been involved in a number of South African competitions before this date.
At the last WorldSkills Competition South Africa came 26th out of 38 countries and in the one before that the country came 23rd out of 38 countries.
“The training I am giving them now will get them all working to the same standard, so when the national competition takes place there is an even playing field,” Nick said.
“I am also training their lecturers so that they take these skills and standards back to their colleges and teach at a WorldSkills level.”
Once the top competitor has been chosen in the national competition the winner will be given further training by Nick.
They will be given 15 weeks of intensive training (set out in five-week blocks) to get them ready for the competition in Russia.
The learners who are competing in the national competition are Philile Mngadi (Shukela Training Centre in KwaZulu-Natal), Sam Simango (Ekurhuleni West TVET College in Gauteng), Kamogelo Mashabela (Mopani TVET College in Limpopo), Nomalungelo Khumalo (Gert Sibande TVET College in Mpumalanga), Eugene May (False Bay TVET College in the Western Cape), Mpho Matona (Maluti TVET College in the Free State), Mfundo Buthelezi (Orbit TVET College in the North West), Jack Mohahabe (NECSA in Gauteng) and Eben Kruger (Esayidi TVET College in KwaZulu-Natal).
Apart from his work with the learners, Nick has also been invited by WorldSkills International to be the chief expert at the WorldSkills Africa Competition in Kigali, Rwanda from November 20 to 23.
“I am looking forward to the competition in Rwanda,” he said.
P&T Technology will be holding an open day on November 1 to showcase the learners’ skills.
The public is invited to come along and see them in action at the business situated at 141 Lamp Road in Wadeville.
For more information call Nick on 011 827 4118.
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