GAUTRAIN PROVIDES TRAINING ON SCARCE AND CRITICAL SKILLS

The National Skills Fund grant to Gautrain is intended to train persons to fill scarce and critical skills needed on the project.

The amount of the grant is R23 million over three years. The first transfer took place in October 2007 and the actual training started in January 2008.

The National Skills Fund allocation was used to train persons in mining competency, plant operators, different functions around the Tunnel Boring Machine, safety and concrete.

Training interventions came at a time when construction started at Emergency Shafts 3,4 and 5. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the training contributed to the construction making excellent progress at these sites.

Training also greatly contributed to the good construction progress at Jean Avenue where Viaduct 5 is in progress. Viaduct 5 carries the elevated alignment through Centurion and supports the elevated Centurion Station platforms located approximately midway along its length. This viaduct stretches from the John Vorster Interchange crossing the N1 in the south and then continues through Centurion to the Jean Avenue Interchange crossing the Ben Schoeman highway in the north.

To date, over 1500 persons have been trained and they will all be equipped with marketable skills to be employed elsewhere once Gautrain has been completed.