South Africa’s manufacturing sector, the fourth-largest in the
country, has been under significant pressure for some time. It recorded a
10,8% drop year-on-year for August, with the fallout of the covid-19
pandemic,
a lack of demand for goods, the unreliable power supply, infrastructure
constraints, the high cost of doing business, and a lack of skilled
workers cited as reasons for hampering growth. Skills training is one of
the ways the sector can be revived,
The skills gap in the manufacturing sector is a universal problem,
with America’s Manufacturing Institute announcing in January that nearly
70% of manufacturers in the USA are creating or expanding training
programmes for their workforces, spending over
R431-billion on training this year alone, as a means of combatting a
shortage of available workers. The institute cited technological change
as an enormous challenge, which necessitated a need to continually
upskill workers.
A report published early in 2020 by The Wall Street Journal
noted that new manufacturing jobs required more advanced skills, driving
up the education level of factory workers who previously relied on
getting by without a tertiary qualification. A
major shift towards automation in production processes is occurring,
with employees who previously worked manually now being required to
operate increasingly digitised machines.
“The challenge for South African manufacturers is not only a lack of
tech-savvy, multiskilled workers, but also the affordability of training
methods, especially when businesses are facing unprecedented financial
pressure,” says Mike Hanly, managing director
of New Leaf Technologies, a Joburg-headquartered learning software and
solutions company that works extensively in the manufacturing sector.
“Our companies here are continually under pressure to find far more
efficient, cost-friendly ways of keeping up with
training challenges.”
Not only is eLearning less expensive than facilitator-led
classroom-style teaching, platforms like Learning Management Systems
(LMS), which are loaded with specially designed courseware – and have
become the go-to solution for companies wanting to customise
and house all their courseware and training programmes online – offer
more for a lot of different scenarios or employer needs, helping
employers and companies address a lot more training needs. “Downtime or
time off from the production line comes with a massive
price for manufacturers, especially in South Africa,” says Hanly, and
this isn’t an issue with eLearning. “With employees being able to access
an LMS via their smartphone or a laptop, learning can happen in their
own time and at their own pace while still meeting
course and timing objectives set by the employer.”
Courseware for an online LMS can be designed in such a manner that
it’s visually very appealing and engaging, which translates into greater
learning retention. “An LMS also allows for courseware consistency,
irrespective of where a company’s production plants
may be scattered around the country or the world. And the sheer nature
of learning online not only fosters confidence in employees to improve
their digital skills, but also allows them to develop softer skills like
critical thinking, initiative and independence,”
says Hanly.
With clients such as BMG, Africa’s largest distributor, manufacturer
and service provider of engineering consumables and components; and AVI
Limited, a major food manufacturing and distribution company, New Leaf
Technologies has seen a record 80% increase
in demand for eLearning products.
With compliance to South Africa’s safety, health, environment and
quality (SHEQ) standards becoming stricter, and mandatory for local and
international trade, manufacturers are also under pressure to
continually update their training courseware to address
these needs. Using an LMS enables the company to update courseware in
this area quickly and efficiently, and the LMS reassigns courses for
certifications to employees whose certifications have expired.
eLearning takes several forms, including self-study guided by a
teaching facilitator; videos using various forms of engaging media like
animation, filmed footage, stock photography and scripted voiceovers;
web-based training via the internet, running online
Learning Management Systems (LMS) loaded with specially designed
courseware; blended eLearning, with instructor-led training combined
with short e-courses; mobile learning, with content downloaded from the
web or accessed via a company’s LMS; game-based learning
as a means of creating a better level of engagement; and social
learning, in which employees are encouraged to interact, collaborate and
network over social platforms to discuss problems, queries and
experiences.
According to an August report by Global Market Insights, a market
research and strategy consulting firm, the eLearning market surpassed
R3,2 trillion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compounded annual
growth rate of 8% between 2020 and 2026. Cloud computing,
artificial intelligence, growing internet penetration and better
cellphone network connectivity, as well as the convenience of accessing
learning content at the touch of a button on a cellphone or PC, are
reasons behind this remarkable growth.
