The recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey published by Stats SA indicated a spike in unemployment with some 27.1% of the country’s employable population actively seeking work. This is most notable in the construction industry where a severe skills’ shortage is resulting in even fewer people finding meaningful work.
Through its ongoing bricklayer training courses run at three training centres in Avoca (KwaZulu-Natal), Lansdowne (Cape Town) and Lawley (Gauteng), Corobrik continues to tackle this unemployment crisis by empowering unemployed individuals with usable skills in the construction industry. This was the case for 18 residents of the KwaDukuza area who completed the nine-week bricklayer training course at Corobrik’s Avoca training centre, with the graduation ceremony held on Thursday, 11 July.
The course consists of 14 modules which covers common and face brick construction. During the course, participants were required to build a three-room home up to roof height with gables, all the while learning skills related to laying clay bricks, concrete blocks and paving.
Best Performance Students: from left, Cindy Mkhize foundation assistant at the Balwin Foundation; Mbali Banda, student; Muzikayifani Gedeza, student; Siphosenkosi Sityata. Image credit: Corobrik
Derrick Dimba, Corobrik’s Building Training Co-ordinator, said the graduates would now be able to construct houses, garden walls and perform alterations, all completed to a high standard of workmanship. This is the second group of candidates sponsored by the Balwin Foundation, a company which is busy with construction of a Ballito-based development. Cindy Mkhize, foundation assistant at the Balwin Foundation, said they invited local community members to apply for the training programme.
She says they had worked with many service providers who offer skills’ training but found the Corobrik course to be the most comprehensive. “The Corobrik course is the best solution to our needs as it focuses on a combination of skills’ training as well as hands-on, practical training which includes setting out, paving and bricklaying in one intensive course. The Corobrik training definitely educates and empowers local community members,” says Mkhize.
The Corobrik bricklaying course continues to meet the growing demand of quality bricklayers in the construction industry. Its Avoca Training Centre has been running for 27 years, during which time Corobrik has successfully trained more than 1 000 bricklayers.
