Developing rural areas through innovation and skills development

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA), Yershen Pillay, is creating a legacy of excellence, where innovation is at the centre of the organisation’s operations.

The CEO believes in innovating for impact, especially in poor and rural communities, and wants the CHIETA to lead in this area through skills development.

In 2022, the authority launched the first-ever SMART Skills Centre in Saldanha Bay, Western Cape to empower local youth and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) by developing their digital skills through tech-enabled learning programmes, such as virtual and augmented reality, robotics and the Internet of things among others.

The centre was created through a partnership with the Freeport Saldanha Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).

“The IDZ gave us an unu- tilised building and we only spent R3 million on equipment and machinery in order to set up the centre within 11 months,” he says.

The authority also collaborated with the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa and the Media Information Communication Technology Sector Education and Training Authority, which provide training and issue certificates to participants.

“This is South Africa’s first fully automated SMART Skills Centre. It was our pilot project, and we will now roll out the project across the nine provinces. Through these centres, we are trying to solve the deepening digital divide in the country between urban and rural communities,” says Pillay.

Rural development

Saldana Bay was chosen because it has a lot of rural areas. Pillay says all the rural schools in the area have access to the centre, which is strategically located at a central place. “None of these centres will be located in urban areas. We want to have one centre in each province by 2025 in order to bridge the digital divide,” says Pillay.

The centre has ten Internet training ports that have a laptop, free data or free WiFi services to help citizens access job opportunities, conduct virtual interviews, participate in skills programmes and apply for bursaries.

The centre offers free services – residents are only required to book a slot. “Out of the ten Internet training ports, three are for virtual reality, which can be used for the training of artisans. The centre has a digital boardroom, which SMMEs can use to have virtual meetings with their clients for free,” he says.

The second SMART Skills Centre will be launched in KwaZulu-Natal and the third one will be launched in the Eastern Cape. The centres are also expected to accelerate local innovation and enterprise capabilities, which will drive job creation and economic growth.

Collaboration

The authority has partnered with various local and international organisations with the aim of contributing to the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, many people with skills and competencies find themselves without work – and to address this, the authority in collaboration with the National Bargaining Council for the Chemical Industry provide retrenched workers with a second chance by creating multiple streams of support, including upskilling or re-skilling, creating opportunities for small businesses and developing franchising opportunities in the industry.

In June 2022, the authority signed an agreement with the China Europe International Business School Africa to offer industry-related training.

The authority also works with Lesedi Youth Fund, which issues grants to address student debts in the chemicals industry.

“We get a database of students who have tuition debts and settle it through the fund. In 2021, we had about R16 million to settle student debts. We also funded work integrated learning worth R20 million through the fund, where we trained artisans in our sector,” he says.

Pillays says In 2022, the authority provided training to 1 600 artisans, up from 1 068 in 2021.

Fighting corruption

With regards to fighting the scourge of corruption, Pillay says public servants should not just lead by example but need to set the bar high, where ethical standards are concerned. He says there must be zero tolerance to non-compliance.

“We need to be the beacons of hope for the country. We need to have strong consequence management,” he says.

Career journey

Pillay describes himself as a development agent or activist.

Conversations With The Leaders

He began his career journey at the University of Cape Town (UCT). While studying towards a Bachelor of Social Science (Political Science and Economics) at the UCT, he worked as a Student Governance Coordinator.

In 2009, Pillay was appointed as the Deputy Executive Chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), a position he held for three years. He was later appointed Executive Chairperson of the NYDA. This led to his appointment as the President of the Pan African Youth Union, where he served for two years.

His other qualifications include a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration and Management and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). He was awarded the Top MBA Achiever Award for Trade in Africa GIBS, UCT in 2021. He is a also Certified Director by the Institute of Directors in South Africa.

Pillay joined the CHIETA in 2020 and says the transition from his previous positions was seamless.

“I have years of experience in executive management. At CHIETA, my key roles include performance management, strategy development and execution, formulating plan of action for the strategy, providing stewardship and oversight performance of the organisation, ensuring that skills development is facilitated,” he says.

The authority has approximately 130 employees, and it operates in three regions –Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape because that is where more than 80% of companies in the chemicals industry are based.

As part of its mandate, the authority collects skills development levies from any chemical manufacturing company that earns more than R500 000 per annum through the South African Revenue Service.

The authority also funds train- ing for SMMEs in the chemical manufacturing industry through the Entrepreneurship Development Programme.

“We have a target of training 2 000 SMMEs by 2025. In the past year, we funded the training of 100 SMMEs who completed a 12-month-long certificate in Entrepreneurship Development at the University of Johannesburg,” adds Pillay.

The CHIETA facilitates skills development in the chemical industries sector and ensures that skills needs are identified and addressed through a number of initiatives.