SAS Apprentice Training Program

Sandock Austral Shipyards runs one of the biggest Apprentice Training Programs in the maritime industry. This program addresses the skills shortage problem in the fields of engineering and technology that our country is faced with.
We aim to play our part in skills development and in empowering our youth. We have dedicated staff who go far and beyond to nurture talent and produce quality artisans.

The SAS Apprentice program began in 2008 in the fields of Boiler making, Fitting and Electrical trades. The requirement needed for starting an Apprentice is a National Senior Certificate with Math’s and Science.
Exceptions will be made under special circumstances for those with Grade 9 or Grade 10. The prospective student requires a further post-matric qualification from a TVET college. The minimum requirement is an N2 with four subjects passed, namely; Math’s, Science, Technical Drawing and Trade Theory for the chosen trade. They must then be registered on the Department of Labour database.
The reason that we request an N2 qualification is that it is a prerequisite for the basics of any trade and a requirement in the application for a Trade Test. Once a student has been sourced from the database, and is successful in their application, SAS offers them a 4-year contract as per MERseta regulations. In this period, they attend 12 weeks of training at the SAS Training Centre and 40 weeks on the shop floor to gain exposure and practical experience in their trades.
This is referred to as Phase Training 1 to 4. Once completed, and the student is found to be competent, an application will be made for them to take a Trade Test. We train apprentices for EThekwini Municipality and have in the past trained for The Office of the Premier in KZN.
The ideal situation would be to retain as many graduates as possible due to the knowledge and skills they have gained during their Apprentices, but this is not always feasible.

From 2008 till present, 86 apprentices have qualified in all the disciplines mentioned above. The figures are as follows:
Boilermakers – 66
Fitters – 11
Electrical – 7
Of these there were 24 females who have qualified.