Saint-Gobain Youthbuild Academy

The Saint-Gobain YouthBuild Academy is MERSETA approved and is the South African forerunner in gypsum products training.

There are two training centers, one in Samrand and one in Germiston.

The Academy runs 6 to 12 month learnerships. A learnership offers an integrated opportunity for an individual to gain an education and work experience in basic steel frame housing, drywall and ceiling installation at a NQF level 2 and 3. (Equivalent to a grade10 qualification).

This unique opportunity is offered to unemployed people, wanting to obtain a Grade 10 qualification based on drywall and ceiling installation.

Applicants are screened and carefully selected according to criteria such as:

• Health
• Technical ability or experience
• Communications competence 
• Values and attitude
• Results in the aptitude assessment

Once a learner has been selected by the Academy, they are required to achieve competency in 130 credits.

These credits are clustered into 4 subjects including:

• Drywall- E.g. Safety, tools and assembly of components
• Communications- E.g. Written and oral communication skills
• Applied Mathematics - E.g. Calculating quantities and costing
• Workplace skills- E.g. Understanding AIDS, First Aid Basics and business plans.

Competencies are based on a combination of practical and theoretical assessments. The ratio of practical to theory is 2:1.

A number of graduates have been employed as full time employees at various contracting businesses. This opportunity will give them further experience which will enable them to eventually become self employed contractors. However, there are a handful of skilled graduates who have decided to follow the path of entrepreneurs and generate their own customer base.

We look forward to a dynamic year resulting in successfully meeting the demand for skilled labour, which has the skills, knowledge, insight and understanding of global trends involved in quality delivery and service.