Bricklaying is a foundational skill that empowers new opportunities

High youth unemployment is a key challenge facing South African society. There’s also a growing queue of new built environment graduates that cannot find sustainable employment. As South Africa’s largest cement producer, PPC is playing its part by providing training in foundational skills that equip aspiring artisans, construction managers and SMMEs.

Bricks and cement are basic requirements for any building project, with bricklayers and plasterers always in demand. However, the historical contraction in the construction sector has led to a decline in activity, which has shed skills and hampered training opportunities. It’s a catch-22 scenario, so breaking this negative cycle for South Africa’s economic reconstruction and recovery is an overriding priority.

In August 2021, PPC launched a groundbreaking, two-week bricklaying training initiative at its Hercules factory in Pretoria West. The site is significant, since it’s the location of South Africa’s first cement plant, established in 1892, underscoring PPC’s 129-year commitment to infrastructure delivery.

At PPC Hercules, 13 trainees were inducted as part of an unfolding nationwide programme. In addition to training, participants receive a financial incentive to help them buy the construction tools they need after the course.

Future attendees can either apply to attend or can be nominated by a retailer or supplier, with training provided at no charge to the participant. Further details are available instore or on the PPC website.

Everyone’s welcome

The PPC Hercules training group comprised new market entrants with no previous construction experience, as well as two participants with tertiary qualifications, but no immediate job prospects, namely Mikateko Ruth Matshebele and Mpho Thulare.

Matshebele is a 37-year-old civil engineering graduate who dreams of running her own company. Thulare is a 24-year-old construction graduate trying to gain vital experience.

“We have chosen Motheo Academy, a privately owned FET institution, to do the training as they have an exemplary record of providing exceptional, relevant instruction in the built environment. We want to give participants the best opportunity to improve their skills so they can build better lives,” says Njombo Lekula, managing director, PPC South Africa.

NQF 3 & 4

The NQF level 3 (bricklaying and plastering) and NQF level 4 (construction management) courses funded by PPC are certain to empower and uplift local communities. They also support

PPC funded trainees to learn the foundational skills at an inaugural programme held at its Hercules cement plant in Pretoria West

The bricklaying skills training funded by PPC will enable a new generation of specialist artisans Product quality is interdependent on technical building skills a boom in the informal building market, either for manufacturers of products like precast concrete masonry bricks, lintels and rooftiles, or artisans and contractors employed in housing and related developments.

It begins and ends with quality

Ensuring a sustainable construction result is the hallmark of PPC’s value proposition for the South African building and civil engineering markets. For PPC, quality is non-negotiable, and this is reflected across its cement, aggregates, metallurgical-grade lime, burnt dolomite, limestone, readymix and fly ash product solutions.

“We want to ensure that every stakeholder – whether they’re a top-tier contractor, an SMME or an artisan – understands and appreciates this within the construction mix,” says Lekula.

“Informal builders are small businesses that play a vital role in building our communities, while also providing much-needed direct investment – two objectives that align with those of PPC,” says Lekula.

“Informal building entrepreneurs can often be self-taught. That’s highly commendable. However, many of these self-starters don’t have the necessary knowledge about cement selection, creating mixes and the techniques needed to ensure that their projects are totally fit for purpose. Often, the results can vary as far as quality is concerned,” Lekula points out.

The unfolding vision

Within the next 12 months, PPC will fund the training of more than 200 informal or ‘bakkie’ builders across South Africa. In future, current courses will also be topped up with advanced training.

“We believe that by helping to create interest in construction at an informal, grassroots level – and further up the formal building chain – we will be encouraging more young people to consider construction as a career path,” adds Lekula.

“However, ensuring this outcome can only be achieved by building the construction industry itself,” Lekula concludes.