Can 500 trainees build 500 mass timber houses in six months?

David Marks says skills are taught be example. He makes sure trainees follow his practical demonstrations

By David Marks

My stance is completely apolitical and from a hands-on, ground-level perspective. Construction has generally not evolved in South Africa over the last 25 years.

The days of a bricklayer being able to plaster a decorative gable wall in layers are long gone. It will not be made if the decorative layer has not been pre-cast and fitted into place. So-called “carpenters” cannot hang doors, and the days of a carpenter able to layout and build a roof with a hammer, a square and a saw are also gone.

In the mass timber and related markets, we sort of fall under the blanket umbrella of construction, manufacturing, and engineering… and the percentage of skilled workers in these fields does not even reach double-digits.

It is common knowledge that the trade teaching institutions that were so successful all those years ago are gone. In my opinion, the sector education training authority (SETA) system has fared poorly with more emphasis on the institution and number of people doing the training than the quality of their output. A four-week carpentry course at a SETA-accredited provider costs around R13,500, excluding transport. What can you teach someone in four weeks?

A trainee artisan in action at MEWA in Darling, Western Cape.

It is simpler for me and better for the students to start from scratch. At Mewa, we teach carpenters thoroughly over at least six months and focus on hands-on manufacturing experience. It allows students to implement what they are taught and learn from their mistakes. The exposure to real-life learning lets them realise there is so much to discover.

They learn to transform their designs from paper (computer screen) into reality with us. Not everything designed on a computer can be built with the limited budgets and lack of skills we face. They get their hands dirty and learn how to make what they design.

BRIDGING THE CHASM
So, how do we bridge this chasmic divide from general unskilled labour to skilled workers and artisans?

Money. We need money - lots - to train an adult in carpentry and manufacturing mass timber, furniture, etc. They need in-depth heoretical and practical skills, real- time practice on real projects, and good tools.

• space. We need factory space and equipment to manufacture/build and teach. Factory space that is a commutable distance from the people who are going to learn.
• sponsors. We need a group of sponsors with political will who have the vision and courage to risk going out on a limb to put together an ambitious training programme that also provides homes.

On the job training during the building of the Dome in Greenpoint, Cape Town

Successful businesspeople who work within these trades in private companies are the teachers we need - they are successful for a reason! Labour law and the restrictions imposed upon employers make investing substantial time, energy, and money in developing their staff difficult. By the time the person is skilled enough, they generally leave to work for better wages or start their own companies. Hence, employers just do not spend the time and effort to upskill. They invest in computer technology, CNC machines and robots for good reason.

Philanthropic money needs to be used for training and upskilling. Well-managed systems need to be developed, and skilled professionals need to donate their time (in between their own activities) and skills at no cost to build such a programme.

David Marks says theory and practical skills are the foundation but structured work experience makes an artisan

Source: WoodBiz Africa - February 2024 Newsletter (Pages 26 - 28)