Five-year Plan Aims To Address Skills Shortages In South Africa's Tyre Sector

A skills shortage that exists in the South African tyre sector is set to be addressed by a comprehensive five-year plan.

The South African Tyre Equipment Parts Association TEPA says it is making significant strides in tackling this skills shortage, and its five-year plan aims to modernise and align training programmes with the evolving demands of the sector to ensure future relevance and sustainability.

The South African skills development landscape is undergoing significant changes, with the phasing out of SAQA historical qualifications and their replacement with QCTO Quality Council for Trades Occupations occupational qualifications, said Angie Frederics, TEPAs Training Committee leader.

While this shift aims to enhance skills training, it has created short-term challenges for Skills Development Providers to enrol new learners into skills programmes.

The transition deadline for SAQA qualifications was June 30, 2024, yet not all programmes have successfully transitioned to QCTO qualifications. This has left gaps, particularly in critical programmes such as automotive servicing and tyre sales, which are yet to be registered under the QCTO framework.