““Skills to empower people and Skills to empower people and grow our industry.”grow our industry.”

Presented at DWAF’s Forestry Sector Skills Development ForumPresented at DWAF’s Forestry Sector Skills Development Forum

Jane Molony 20 July 2008

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Objective of this presentation

• To give an overview of where our industry is at.

• Where we want to be – skills vision.

• How we intend getting there.

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What's good about our industry?

• Renewable resource – cradle to cradle?• Identified as one of four strategic sectors by

Governments national industrial policy framework

• We have signed the BBBEE charter – and we going to make it work!

• Unlike the automotive industry we always have a positive balance of payments.

• We employ 12 000 directly in pulp an paper processing, 170 000 downstream.

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• Our two large companies are in the top 20 pulp and paper companies in the world.

• We invented oxygen bleaching in this country • There is more technology in a modern paper

machine than in the latest boeing aircraft• Must conclude that we are a truly sustainable

technologically advanced industry.• So what is our Achilles heel?• Why aren't people clamouring to work in the

industry?

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• We not sexy

• We don’t pay as well as the Sasol’s of the world

• We need our engineers to work shifts

• Career paths are not always clearly defined

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Who are PAMSA ?

• PAMSA’s members represent over 90% of all pulp and paper produced in this country

• SATMA and PRASA are also part of us

• We have an environmental, technical and most importantly an education committee.

• Pre Competitive issues

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Pre Competitive Issues

• National Industrial Policy Framework

- GDP growth over 6% by 2010

- halve unemployment & poverty by 2014

- intensify industrialisation knowledge economy by 2014

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CSIR UKZN

INDUSTRY

PROCESSING RESEARCH UNIT

PAMSA

Sponsored Post

FFP

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PAMSA RESEARCH INITIATIVE

PROPOSAL

Establish a Processing Research Unit (PRU) to coordinate industry research

PRU Director of Research post funded by Pamsa and CSIR PRU based at FFP on UKZN campus PRU trains minimum nine postgraduates per annum PRU directs research to National Research Framework PRU directs research at US, UP and DUT

Sponsoring students Collaborative research

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PRU

US UP

DUT

COLLABORATIVERESEARCHPROGRAMS

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What are we doing about skills?

• Developed a strategy for the training of operators, technicians and engineers in pulp and paper technology.

• We have adopted a multi-dimensional education focus with fit for purpose solutions. ie school to mill solutions

• We have 8 lecturers supporting this programme.

• We spend in excess of 3 million each year on industry wide education because we see skills development as an imperative for a healthy competitive industry

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Vision

• The vision is to enhance our industry’s global

competitiveness by having competent

operational staff to operate today’s plant and

equipment; and that to be installed in future

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What difference do skills make

Qualification Points

Std 1-3 / grade 3-5 1

Std 4-5 / grade 6-7 2

Std 6-7 / grade 8-9 (N1) 3

Std 8-9 (N2) NQF 1-2 4

Std 10 / grade 12 (N3) 6

Std 10 + (N2) 7

N3 (Pulp + Paper) (NQF 4) 8

Std 10 + N3 (Pulp + Paper) (NQF 4) 9

N4 (NQF 5) (first year of degree) 11

N5 (2nd year of degree) 12

N6 (NQF 6) (3rd year of degree) 13

B.Tech (4 year degree) 15

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Some key challenges

• Provide opportunity for existing employees and new recruits

• Exploit the mechanisms provided by the new National Skills Framework

• Ensure a basis of maths and science to enable future education and training

• Enable a redesign of mill operational structures – enable devolution of authority

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Making a difference

• We work closely with the Fieta.

• We have something for everyone.

• From Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) - benchmarking against Unit standards and Nat. Dipl to a masters degree

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New Education Approach: The Qualifications Ladder

ABET

Baling, Wrapping, Receive and Store logs, Cores, Laminating, etc

Woodyard, Drying, Mech Pulping, Coating, Finishing, Stock Prep, Bleaching

Recovery, Papermaking, Chemical Pulping

National Certificate: Pulp and Paper Technology

National Diploma: Pulp and Paper Technology

B-TECH

M-TECH

Level 1

Level 4

Level 2

Level 3

Level 6

Level 5

Level 7

Level 8 M.Sc Eng

NQFLevel

National Certificate: Pulp and Paper Operations

National Certificate: Pulp and Paper Operations

National Certificate: Pulp and Paper Operations (Intro to Industry)

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Funding support

• FIETA – learnership funding

– Designed all programmes around learnerships

• National skills fund – R34million

• Two thirds of this for pulp and paper industry

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Investment

• Industry R3,5 mill per annum

• Fieta project funds – R5.1 mill spent so far

– Course development

– Bursaries

– Material development

– Assessor training

– Incentive for learnerships

– Literature and other resources

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Investment

• Fieta funds – currently spending

– R1,4 mill on material development

– R300K for RPL pilot

– R2mill on skills for coaching mentoring and assessing

– R2mill for pulp and paper certificate grants

• National skills fund project – R32mill

– P&P has access to ⅔ rds of this money

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Credibility / Partnerships

• Credibility

– NSF

– SETA - FIETA

– FET colleges

– HET institutions – DUT, UNISA, UKZN

• Partnerships

– Industry partnership

– DUT

– UNISA

– Opportunity to partner with UMALUSI

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Opportunity

• We can extend partnerships with technical colleges

– Springs area

– Richards Bay/Tugela (Umfolozi College)

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Commitments required

• Every mill has a strategy for resource design & change processes in place

• Pamsa has a clear “order” for each level of education support required

• Selection criteria for learners & Mill practical learning is “lived”

• A clear attraction and retention strategy is undertaken

• Agree a school vocational and industry entry level initiative

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Discussion

• It has been a long road but PAMSA have reviewed the education strategy this year.

• We have received a mandate to continue with the process.

• People are our power – but skilled people give us staying power.

• Working together we can make the Forest Product Sector the sector of choice.

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• Thank you

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