Portable Skills training continues to be important developmental avenue for bridging the skills gap in the country. Through portable skills, people are empowered to seek out opportunities that will have a direct positive impact on their livelihoods.
Kumba Iron Ore through its Portable Skills Training program, has produced a new cohort of accredited tradesmen and women through its partnership with B – Safe Africa Training Academy. Responsible for producing over 400 graduates in the past two years, the six-month CETA, merSETA and QCTO accredited programs offer trainings in trades such as Bricklaying, Tiling & Plastering, Basic Welding, Carpentry and Plumbing.
Learning and Delivery Coordinator at Kumba Iron Ore – Martin Koto, highlights the importance of the training program. “As indicated by Statistic South Africa’s (Stats SA) Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the youth (15 – 34 years) unemployment rate stood at 46.1% in Q1 of 2025.
It is therefore important that we equip young people with the necessary skills and tools that will increase their employability or provide a developmental framework they can use to generate a sustainable income.
Our Portable Skill Training program mirrors our Sustainable Mining Plan which envisions access to excellent education and training for all children in our host communities. Through this program, we hope that all of our graduates will gain entry in the labour market or identify gaps within their communities to be entrepreneurs”.
Tiling & Plastering trade graduate – Morati Mothibedi (28) from Seodin – Kuruman, shares her experience about the program and her future plans. “When I started the Portable Skills Training program, I was totally inexperienced in Paving, Tiling and Plastering. I have learned a lot over the past six month and I can confidently say that it has been a great journey! I plan to further my studies in this field and make use of all the skills I have gained”.
