South Africa is facing major employment challenges. Despite being the most important industrial location on the African continent, youth unemployment remains extremely high. At the same time, the automotive sector is undergoing a profound technological transformation towards electric and hybrid vehicles. One of the key constraints on the sector’s competitiveness is the shortage of qualified skilled workers, particularly in the field of high-voltage systems and e-mobility.
This is where the new vocational education and training partnership between the Chamber of Crafts Erfurt and selected TVET colleges in South Africa comes in. Building on the positive experiences of previous cooperation projects, the initiative focuses on training teachers, developing a nationally accredited curriculum for a supplementary qualification in e-mobility and supporting partner colleges in accreditation and equipment upgrading.
A key implementation partner is the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), with whom the Chamber of Crafts Erfurt has already successfully cooperated in a previous partnership. As the umbrella organisation of South Africa’s automotive industry, RMI contributes its strong links to dealerships and workshops, supports the practice-oriented design of the qualification and facilitates access to workplace learning opportunities for apprentices and graduates.
In addition, the project follows a gender-sensitive approach aimed at attracting more women to technical occupations in the automotive sector. Overall, the partnership makes an important contribution to strengthening the South African TVET system, securing skilled labour in the future field of e-mobility and promoting sustainable economic development in South Africa.