A young welder from Uitenhage will team up with three females and another male, to represent South Africa next year at the World Skills Competition in Russia.
South Africa currently lacks sufficient qualified artisan skills to support growth, even more so when it comes to welding skills.
Eastcape Midlands TVET College (EMC) is coming up with ways to fill the gaps in the country’s artisan skills. One way in which they are doing this, is by sending welding student Chandle Cloete (19) to China to compete in the Arc Cup International Welding Competition which will take place during June 2018.
Competing at this competition will give Cloete a clear indication as to what to expect in Russia.
When Cloete started at EMC in 2017 he originally wanted to study Electrical Engineering, but could not register owing to financial constraints. However, he saw that CHIETA was sponsoring students to take part in a 10 week welding skills programme at EMC. It was after completing this programme that he was identified to compete on behalf of EMC at the Arc Cup Competition.
Students will get the opportunity to show off their skills in a particular specialised welding process during this event. For Cloete, this will be in Gas Metal Arc Welding.
“Everyone wants to go to a university to study, but at the end of the day, when you go to a TVET college, you get really good training,” said Cloete.
As the eldest in his family, his responsibility to support his family motivated him to expand his skills and knowledge in the welding field.
“I never imagined that I would have this opportunity and ability to excel beyond my own expectations,” said Cloete.
He will leave for Johannesburg on Sunday, June 3rd, where he will spend a week with the South African Institute of Welding (SAIW) polishing up his training before heading for China. – REPORTER
