RMI UPDATE
German Chamber of Skilled Crafts partners with Eastern Cape educational institutions
Mr Oel and Mr Malcherek hand over equipment to EMC Principal, Mr van Heerden
the industry to improve employability and income of TVET graduates in this sector.
Mr Malcherek hands over official invitation to Mr Mkwebu from EMC
T
he German Handwerkskammer Erfurt (Chamber of Skilled Crafts) hosted a formal information session on its partnership with eight TVET colleges and one high school in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday, 27 February 2018. The event took place at Eastcape Midlands TVET College’s Brickfields Road Campus, in Uitenhage. This partnership came about to fulfil the need for an upgrading of the practical skills of vocational lecturers in the automotive sector in TVET colleges in the Eastern Cape. This upgrade will include modern car diagnostics in line with the demands of
26 - APRIL 2018
The partnership project is funded through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Handwerkskammer Erfurt is a leading training institution for high-tech skills training, and 20 lecturers from nine different TVET institutions in the Eastern Cape will be invited to attend automotive training in Germany at its own training workshops in Erfurt. The lecturers who will be attending the four-week training course in Germany received their formal invitations at the function. The first group of 11 lecturers will leave in July 2018, while the second group will fly out later in 2018 or early 2019.
As a follow up, lecturers from the Handwerkskammer Erfurt will visit South Africa to continue skills enhancement training for the South African TVET lecturers. In preparation for this, the project has purchased three state-ofthe-art Bosch FSA 740 hi-tech vehicle system analysers, a hybrid car engine and a standmounted petrol engine. Other vital equipment has been provided to EMC that will be used to ensure continuous training by German and South African experts throughout the project. Dignitaries who attended this prestigious event include delegates from the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the German Embassy, local government, TVET colleges, SETAs and Office of the Premier. The Managing Director of the Handwerkskammer Erfurt, Mr Malcherek and Project Manager, Mr Rehbein handed over the equipment as well as the formal invitations to the lecturers selected to travel to Germany.
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