education and training

regarding industry requirements and the potential future impact on subject material to various entities in higher education. Interestingly, Sassda has also presented to primary school standards as part of technology as a subject.

What are Sassda’s long-term aims for promoting awareness of the importance of the stainless steel industry?

Education, training, and technical advice remain critical in spreading awareness and information regarding the material and the industry. Worldstainless, the international development body, has research showing the relationship between a country’s per capita use of stainless steel and its GDP. The higher the local consumption and use of stainless steel, the higher the GDP. It might not be similarly applicable to South Africa but increased local use and conversion of stainless steel can create sustainable jobs of around three to five jobs (or even more in some product ranges) per ton.

By creating awareness around the use of local stainless steel cutlery and hollowware we can, for example, annually localise 10 500 tonnes of currently imported stainless steel products. This could equate to between 30 000 and 50 000 potential new and sustainable jobs.