Skills Development in the Construction Industry
Growing project management, construction and property solutions company Profica is focused on skills development, with a variety of initiatives that ensure a pipeline of fresh talent is coming into the industry and young people get the opportunities they deserve.
“Our skills development initiatives have grown to include a bursary programme and a vacation work programme. We also offer internships. The construction industry has faced a serious skills shortage for several years and having the right skills in place at every stage of each project is critical to our continued success,” says CEO Tim White. “Our performance and reputation is closely linked to the skills of our people at every level throughout the organisation. We ensure that we have the right mix of skills available through a diverse range of programmes and initiatives.”
Profica has employed two students for the 2019 internship, Balulekile Sanqela and Khutso Selowa. Khutso was one of the students that participated in the company’s 2018 Vacation Programme. Although this is a six-month internship programme, both students join the team as Junior Project Managers and are afforded the opportunity to provide a valuable contribution to actual live projects under the direction of a more senior experienced PM.
Khutso says of the programme, “It is an honour and privilege for me to be joining the awesome Profica Team, one of the best Project Management companies in the country and arguably on the African continent. Having worked with them briefly during the 2018 Vacation Work Programme, I immediately felt comfortable trusting them with my career foundation as a Junior Project Manager. I’m excited about this next chapter of my life.”
White adds that this is the fourth year in a row where students have joined the Profica team from the vacation programme, moving onto the internship and then successfully going into permanent roles within the team. “This enables real transformation and skills development in the construction project management industry,” says White. “We are looking forward to our next student intake for the July/August 2019 Vacation Programme, where we meet our future members of the team.”
The Profica bursary programme awards university study bursaries to aspiring students in construction related careers. Tristan Smith, a former student at King Edward VII School (KES), is studying civil engineering at Stellenbosch this year, funded by Profica.