The initiative, developed by ECDC in conjunction with the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and CETA, started in 2004 as a pilot project which aimed to build capacity amongst emerging contractors.

The pilot project was successful and last year 54 emerging contractors from Port Elizabeth, East London, Queenstown, Mthatha and Kokstad graduated from the programme.

As a result of this success and inputs from the pilot project, qualified and experienced mentors which include quantity surveyors and civil engineers will now mentor contractors on a full-time basis to ensure what is learnt in class is applied on site.

According to ECDC project leader Eugene Mfaka, the programme is a first for South Africa and is only operational in the Eastern Cape. The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) is in the process of formulating a national framework to regulate all construction development programmes including this one.

Mfaka says the idea is to ensure that contractors build sustainable businesses and that when they are given tenders they produce quality products in the form of housing, roads, clinics and schools.

Mfaka says the contractors who successfully completed the programme have seen remarkable improvements in their capacity and some have managed to move up to three grades on the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) register.

“Before we can accept an emerging contractor into the programme, we do an assessment to ensure that it is a registered entity and the right capacity.

“We accept contractors from Grades 1 to 5 which is the emerging level and at completion CETA grading will be used to conduct an assessment of each contractor to determine their readiness for the market,” says Mfaka.

He says the programme has recorded a number of successes like Luzuko Mtwebana, from Zani Construction who joined the programme in 2005.

“I used to operate in a vacuum without taking into consideration any statutory or legal requirements I needed to comply with to run a successful business.

“As a result of the programme I am better organised, I have knowledge of the regulations I need to comply with and I understand cash flows. I am now applying for Grade 7 where I will be able to compete with established contractors,” says Mtwebana who graduated last year.

Diederich Engelbrecht from South African Value Education (Save), a trainer in the programme, says the programme enabled them to test the knowledge of contractors and to do top up training on the areas they were found to be lacking knowlegde.

“After the programme they graduate with a certificate in construction management under the National Qualification Framework (NQF).

“Eighty Five percent of the contractors I have trained, actively implement the skills they have learnt from the programme and it has improved their business acumen,” says Engelbrecht.

Mfaka says that the curriculum includes teaching contractors’ business management skills and effective tendering.

Mfaka says that the curriculum includes teaching contractors’ business management skills and effective tendering and Occupational Health Safety. The programme began on 1st May this year, and includes a rigorous assessment process of each contractor which took six months.

He says the programme’s contractors are supported by a tripartite agreement between ECDC, and the departments of housing and public works.

“We are finalizing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the two parties to this agreement and with the CSIR on board to conduct the quality assurance,” says Mfaka. ECDC would welcome other potential partners who are committed to Emerging Contract Development.

The construction sector has been identified as a priority sector by government because of its potential to create jobs and bolster economic growth.