The construction of our training and development centre is well under way. We anticipate that it will be completed and launched by the end of February 2009.

The centre will be one of a kind in our industry in Africa
and possibly in the world. It is being established primarily to equip unskilled labourers with skills to enable them to seek employment in any of the automotive, industrial, woodworking or DIY industries. It will provide them with a real opportunity to find gainful employment and contribute to the Southern African economy.

There will be a unique theory training room looking on to a spray both. The room is designed to accommodate 24 trainees at a time who will each receive weeks of comprehensive training. The centre will also be equipped with state of the art audio visual  technology and equipment to ensure that the trainees receive exceptional instruction, education and on
the job training.

The centre will also have a canteen to cater for the trainees and will be fully air conditioned to ensure that they are bodily and mentally at their peak so they maximize their knowledge intake.

Our instructors will be highly experienced hands on people who will not only impart their technical and hands on skills but will also provide the trainees with specific knowledge for all of the products we supply.
Each of our major suppliers will have its own display booth with its entire range of products on display. The booths will each have televisions and digital video facilities to run educational programs on our products.

Naturally the centre will be extremely useful for both
existing and new distributors and end users and will ensure they are using our entire product range optimally and are aware of all products in our range.

The centre will be approved and endorsed by the relevant Government educational and training  authorities so that the courses receive official recognition and qualify for training grants for employers who send their staff for training. The cost of building the 1200 square meter training facility is significant and our final cost estimate is between R4 and R5 million. We have attached an artist’s impression of what the
training centre will look like when complete.

The monthly costs of running the centre will also be significant bearing in mind the cost of the rental, salaries of instructors, energy, materials, maintenance, catering, upkeep etc.

The long term benefits will however be significant for all and to the future of the industry. By equipping otherwise unemployed people with skills to enable them to earn a living and feed their families we will also help to prevent a shortage of skills in the industry. We will naturally assist both trainees to find employment and distributors and end users to source specifically trained employees.

The centre will also be available by pre-arrangement for our distributors and customers to use to host conferences.