CETA CEO Taking Board Members on Extended Overseas Trip

In the face of a glaring construction skills shortage in South Africa consequent to the ineffectiveness of the Construction Education Training Authority (CETA), the City Press has reported on July 7, 2024 that the CEO of the CETA is ‘taking members of his board on an extended overseas trip costing millions.’ The document from which City Press cited alleges that ‘the government agency responsible for skills development programs has already spent R4 million for the flights, car hire, accommodation and facilitator fees.’

Besides this expenditure which is debatably being labeled as ‘wasteful and unnecessary,’ each of the 8 board members ‘will be receiving R250,000 pocket money for other expenses, over and above the usual board fees’.

In a memo in the possession of the City Press of May 27, the motivation for the study visit abroad is ‘to help the CETA to shape its strategy towards skilling the education sector.’ Further, the memo allegedly states that ‘if one is to contribute to a sector that is globally competitive, then one needs to benchmark and understand current and future trends and practices of such a sector holistically… the research reports of study visits abroad will then assist to shape CETA strategy towards skilling and educating the sector.’

The Industry Roundtable organized by the Association of Schools of Construction of Southern Africa (ASOCSA) on July 16 in Gqeberha provides precisely the platform and opportunity that CETA is seeking to develop its strategy without an expensive study visit.

The panel members are renowned experts in this field having participated in the landmark and historic White Paper for the construction industry in 1999. This White Paper gave rise to the establishment of the CETA subsequently. The research reports that the CETA claim to be writing can be written by members of this panel and ASOCSA if the necessary funding is channeled to its members instead.
Further, education and training decision makers will be engaging in Construction Education Summit (CES24) on July 17-18 to discuss the very issues that the CETA is seeking to address through its study visit which also notably excludes India and engagement with a similar industry-funded body, the NCC Training Center in Hyderabad.