“Skills to empower people and
grow our industry.”
Presented at DWAF’s Forestry Sector Skills Development Forum
Jane Molony 20 July 2008
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
FFP
PROCESSING
RESEARCH UNIT
INDUSTRY
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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
COLLABORATIVE
RESEARCH
PROGRAMS
UP
US
DUT
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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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OEE versus Qualification
Qualification
100
80
60
OEE%
40
20
0
70.3
6.3
75.8
7.5
81
7.9
83.8
8.6
88.1
9.2
Qualification
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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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NQF
Level
Level 8
New Education Approach:
The Qualifications Ladder
M.Sc Eng
M-TECH
Level 7
B-TECH
Level 6
National Diploma: Pulp and Paper Technology
Level 5
National Certificate: Pulp and Paper Technology
National Certificate: Pulp and Paper Operations
Level 4
Recovery, Papermaking, Chemical Pulping
National Certificate: Pulp and Paper Operations
Level 3
Woodyard, Drying, Mech Pulping, Coating, Finishing, Stock Prep, Bleaching
National Certificate: Pulp and Paper Operations (Intro to Industry)
Level 2
Baling, Wrapping, Receive and Store logs, Cores, Laminating, etc
Level 1
ABET
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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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