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October 2015
Industry Buzz, Events & Products
The funding will be allocated for
high tech equipment and ac-
cessories equipment for the SA
PaintingManufacturing Association’s
training arm SAPITI. Deryck Spence,
Executive Director of SAPMA says
that CHIETA approved a discretionary
grant for the operational require-
ments of the new Training Centre.
This includes all high-technology
equipment and studios to facilitate
inter-active video conferencing tu-
ition in multi-faceted Coatings Tech-
nology.
“This will allow education to
complement electronic face-to-face
tuition. CHIETA has also funded spe-
cialised laboratory equipment as well
as equipment for practical training,
extensive tuition material, fittings,
office equipment, computerised
student data bases and an electronic
assessment question bank.”
Spence says that government’s
recognition of the need for training in
the coatings sector, coupled with the
upliftment of skills and jobopportuni-
ties the new training is great news.
“The coatings industry has trav-
elled a long road with CHIETA, con-
tinuously improving relations and
mutual understanding along the
way, now culminating in this vital
funding. The industry and CHIETA
now have total consensus as far as
training is concerned and we are im-
mensely grateful for the opportunity
to reduce the critical skills shortage in
the industry. It endorses the fact that
both theMinister of Higher Education
and Training, Dr Blaze Nzimande,
and CHIETA Acting Ceo, Ayesha Itz-
kin, understand the importance of
industry-specific training. The news
of the grant has been received with
gratification by all SAPMA members
and our retail members will also ben-
efit from the new training,” he says.
Mandy Linossi, SAPITI Training
Administrator, said: “The new web-
based training to be offered at the
Centre will enable SAPITI to raise the
Funding for SAPITI
The South African coatings
industry has been given a major
boost by the Chemical Industries
Education and Training Authority
(CHIETA) allocating funding
for the new SA Paint Industry
Training Institute (SAPITI) centre
in Bedfordview.
The 42 new research chairs,
awarded to local women re-
searchers, has increased the
total number of chairs under the
South African Research Chairs Initia-
tive (SARChI) to 197.
Making the announcement recent-
ly, Science and Technology Minister
Naledi Pandor said so far SARChI
had involved mostly men, with four
out of five research chairs going to
male professors. “We have 42 new
female research professors.” Minister
Pandor said, “The additional women
research chairs were not quota ap-
pointments, but impressive candi-
dates of a high calibre.”
Established in 2006 by the Depart-
ment of Science and Technology
(DST) and managed by the National
Research Foundation (NRF), SARChI
is a government human capital de-
velopment intervention to strengthen
and improve the scientific research
and innovation capacity of South
African public universities. ■
42 new women research professors
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in Southern Africa
HOUSING
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standard of professionalism, technol-
ogy and practical knowledge of sales
and advisory staff in the retail market.
It will provide the retail market with
the training it now urgently needs to
complywithConsumer ProtectionAct
legislation.”
Plans have already been drawn up
for the building of the Training Centre
and construction work is expected to
start soon. It is hoped that the Centre
will open its doors early next year.
The Centre will have access to
the internationally-respected British
Coatings Federation (BCF) training
modules and will offer technical
tuition at advanced levels as well as
for non-technical industry staff to
improve their knowledge of coatings.
SAPITI’s Surface Coatings Tech-
nology Course is aimed at a vari-
ety of operations in the coatings
industry including staff working
in QC laboratories, technical sales
representatives and raw material
supplier representatives. The course
is also suitable for staff with careers
focussed on product development
and formulation, technical support,
trouble shooting and problem solv-
ing. For further information contact
SAPMA on 011 615 1195 or go to
■