According to the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB report) of October 2015, South Africa’s unemployment rate currently stands at 25%. The construction industry is an important player in job creation, not only in the construction sectors, but in other sectors of the economy.
Despite such contributions that the Built Environment has, students who graduate in this field every year struggle to get employment. Some of the students complete their studies and register as candidates with the SACPCMP but in their respective workplace, they do not get exposure and experience for all required competencies and thus delay them in becoming professionals despite having the formal qualifications.
All these problems create serious challenges in the transformation of the industry. In fact, the numbers of registered persons within the SACPCMP still do not reflect the current South African demographics in spite of the 1994 democratic breakthrough.
The SACPCMP thus is taking practical steps to address this anomaly which has not changed despite the huge investments that government and the private sector have made into infrastructure development in our country since the advent of democracy in 1994.
SACPCMP will this year hold massive Roadshows in all accredited institutions in raising awareness to students and industry participants on the importance of registering with the SACPCMP Student Chapter Catergory.
The Student Chapter is a category meant for students enrolled full/part time in an undergraduate and/or post graduate with a major in Building Science or Construction Management. This initiative mainly serves as a valuable link between the students, registered persons as well as companies in the Built Environment for purposes of mentorship and their professional development. There by creating opportunities for vacation work, job shadowing, internships and mentoring.
“SACPCMP will be steadfast in creating linkages, network and relationships between the industry and students in the Built Environment disciplines,” says Nomvula Rakolote, SACPCMP Registrar.
SACPCMP would also want to assist learners in Grades 10, 11 and 12 to choose these professions in the not so distant future. The Student Chapter has been positioned in such a manner that the secondary school students also benefit from it. This is through getting guidance on which units to consider at the university level in order to be profesionals in the Construction industry.
