The Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) has taken a proactive role in addressing the engineering skills shortage through initiating self-paced online learning and informed mentorship programmes, says SAISC technical director Amanuel Gebremeskel.

“As the institute, we are developing self-paced online learning and making content available that addresses the challenges of skill shortages in the steel industry. We are putting together curated content that is available in a format that provides quality, curated information from a trusted source, in a place that can be easily accessed.”

Gebremeskel adds that the programmes are dynamic but at the same time, they allow the individual to learn at their own pace.

He mentions that the SAISC management also liaises regularly with all the major global steel associations to find content and mentorship programmes that in turn assist their members to gain skills.

“We are one of only six steel construction institutes globally, and we are in regular contact with these other global industry bodies, always keeping the bigger global picture in mind and looking at global best practices and dealing with sustainability issues.

“Further, we are in regular contact with British engineering association, the Institute of Structural Engineers (IStructE), which is UK-based but has a number of local members.”

Gebremeskel says these engagements are meant to improve the quality of its members, to mitigate the skills shortage.

He says the institute works together with the South African Bureau of Standards and also liaises closely with local professional associations, such as the South African Institute of Civil Engineering, the IStructE Southern Africa and the South African Institute of Architects, as well as the professional bodies for galvanising and corrosion protection, to help mitigate the national skills problem.

“We also offer lectures and talks on various topics to their members, and, in addition, have a strong presence at specific local universities, in order to transfer the knowledge to young upcoming engineers.”

Mentorship

Gebremeskel says the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of community engagement and mentorship programmes.

He adds that mentorship initiatives and online platforms ensured that engineers continued to learn during the resultant lockdowns.

Speaking to Engineering News, SAISC marketing director Denise Sherman says the institute has been using its informal mentorship programmes to help its members’ professional development significantly through organic connections and relationships.

She says the institute has used its networking events, its annual Steel Awards, the conversations it has with its members, and the connections and networking that it facilitates to encourage the mentees to engage in the programmes through peer-to-peer mentorship.

“We have found that our members in the younger generation are particularly appreciative of our collaborative and community-based relationships and we have seen that when an organic mentoring process takes place, these become relationships which can span – and sustain – a career. The institute is the hub that facilitates these connections, being the focal connection point of the community,” she says.

Sherman mentions that the institute’s mentorship programmes have become more collaborative. She says it has encouraged both the older generation and the younger generation to engage and contribute. She adds that this has enabled peer-to-peer learning , closing the generational gap and mitigating the skills shortage.

“It seems that our older generation has embraced the use of online technology, and conversely our younger generation has a greater appreciation of face-to-face interaction: quite a generational ‘reset’. Combining these situations, you could argue that the gap has closed post-Covid; there is more of a meeting in the middle with regards to the embrace of a truly hybrid remote/online/in-person approach,” she concludes.