“To the client, anything short of expectations is unacceptable. The excuse that a project was delayed because inexperienced graduates with first-class qualifications were being mentored simply will not wash.”
One of the challenges experienced across the African continent is the widening skills gap in engineering and artisan trades. This is evident in sectors such as power generation and water treatment, among others, where plants experience significant downtime due to maintenance backlogs.
A veteran maintenance and reliability consultant recently reminded this publication of the challenge on the sidelines of an Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) event earlier this year. He lamented the difficulty his EPCM firm faces in finding competent people to work on projects at short notice.
The veteran also highlighted the widening gap between the calibre of graduates that learning institutions are producing and what heavy industry urgently requires.
Successful project delivery needs the finished article – someone who can deliver from day one.
Unfortunately, graduates from academic institutions, even those who passed with first-class honours, tend to be heavy on theory and light on practical work experience. The latter is what matters most on projects, where there are non-negotiable requirements.
For instance, a contractor may be responsible for a US$500 million project that must be delivered on time, to the required quality standards, and within budget.
To the client, anything short of expectations is unacceptable. The excuse that a project was delayed because inexperienced graduates with first-class qualifications were being mentored simply will not wash.
This brings to light two challenges that are further worsening the problem.
The first is that the skills gap continues to widen because of the ongoing brain drain to countries that are willing to remunerate skilled professionals more generously. Beyond better pay, these countries also offer opportunities to work on larger and more technically demanding projects. Popular destinations include the oil-rich Gulf states, New Zealand, and Australia.
The second is the void left by retiring veterans. Their invaluable practical project experience is not being replaced. At the same time, there appears to be a growing preference among young people for business management, human resource management, and communications degrees, rather than engineering and artisan careers.
There are no quick fixes. However, one thing, is clear: radical reform must start at the foundation, with skills development and training that reflects contemporary industry requirements.
