Johannesburg: As part of its commitment to develop its own technical skills, Goscor Lift Trucks (GLT) has partnered with the Artisan Training Foundation (ATF) to sponsor learnerships for field technicians at the Artisan Training Institute (ATI).  

Amid a broad deficit of technical skills in South Africa, leading materials handling solutions provider, GLT, is at the forefront of ‘growing its own timber’ to plug the skills gap. As part of this initiative, the company has donated to the ATF – a specialised non-profit organisation that channels funds to the training of youth for quality vocational occupations – has assisted in the funding of learnerships drawn from unemployed youth to become field technicians to complete Phase 1, 2 and 3 of their institutional training.

Pieter Wessels, General Manager: Operations at GLT, confirms that the field technicians will train as forklift mechanics as well as auto electricians. The training – to be conducted at ATI’s Roodepoort, Gauteng campus – commenced on October 16, 2023, following the signing of a Tripartite Workplace Learning Agreement between the learners, ATI and GLT.

“As part of the agreement, GLT has issued Learnership Employment Contracts to the participants, spanning over three phases of alternating between training at ATI to the completion of trade tests followed by on-the-job experience at GLT, equating to 27 months,” says Wessels.

In addition, ATI has set aside a dedicated workshop facility for all future forklift training programmes, which will be branded as Goscor Forklift Academy. As part of the agreement, GLT has donated a used diesel forklift, a used electrical forklift and scrap engine and transmission for basic stripping and assembling. While Goscor learners will receive first priority to use the workshop, non-Goscor forklift learners may also be trained in the facility.

[About the Goscor Group]

Industrial equipment group Goscor is a BUD group company. Goscor represents leading equipment brands across several sectors. These include Crown, Doosan, Bendi and DEC (forklifts and materials handling equipment); Bobcat (compact & construction); SANY (earthmoving); Tennant, Elgin, IPC, and Portotecnica (industrial cleaning equipment); HPower, Weima, Meiwa and Rato (industrial power solutions); Sullair (compressed air solutions), and many more.

Goscor Lift Trucks (GLT), part of the Goscor Group, has been providing best-practice industrial
warehousing equipment solutions since 1984. Offering a wide range of electric and diesel-powered forklifts, together with their superior after-sales service, has enabled GLT to become a dynamic forklift company that offers complete warehousing solutions at the lowest total cost of ownership. GLT are proud to be a leading industrial warehousing equipment supplier in the materials handling industry in South Africa today.

About the Artisan Training Foundation

The Artisan Training Foundation (ATF) donor-funded programmes have worked in partnership with funding organisations, both national and international over the past ten years. Both ATF and ATI are stakeholders in the Gauteng – Regional Centre of Expertise, officially recognized by the United Nations University. ATI has now trained over 30 000 artisans in its history at its three training campuses (Roodepoort, Kimberley, Port Shepstone).

The Artisan Training Foundation has trained more than 1750 donor– funded learners drawn from unemployed previously disadvantaged youth. The donor funded programmes have seen partnerships with funders such as the Mastercard Foundation, Harambee Youth Accelerator, TISO Foundation, Afrika Tikkun, Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation, Aveng, Bell Equipment and many more. The placement rate into employment is over 97% which speaks to the strength of ensuring the high quality of the technical training.

About the Goscor Group

Industrial equipment group Goscor is a BUD group company. Goscor represents leading equipment brands across several sectors. These include Crown, Doosan, Bendi and DEC (forklifts and materials handling equipment); Bobcat (compact & construction); SANY (earthmoving); Tennant, Elgin, IPC, Portotecnica, Kaivac and HighPoint (industrial cleaning equipment); HPower, Weima, Meiwa and Rato (industrial power solutions); Genie (aerial lift equipment); Sullair and Ozen (compressed air solutions), and many more.

Media Contact:
Bridgette Macheke
MoonDawn Media & Communications
Email: bridgette@moondawnmedia.co.za
Web: www.moondawnmedia.co.za