The skills development and job creation potential of

infrastructure maintenance:

a social exchange model

Kevin WallUniversity of Pretoria

Human Settlements Portfolio CommitteeCape Town, 11 November 2014

• Employment is a key mechanism for addressing widespread poverty.

• Many of the soft skills needed to improve a worker’s employability – such as punctuality, discipline, the ability to work in a team – are developed on the job.

Does significant potential for job creation lie in

infrastructure maintenance?

Maintenance • Needs to be done year after year – no

booms and busts.• Need is on a steady rise.• Much possible using labour-intensive

methods.• Much can be accomplished by people

with low skill levels.• In all corners of the land; by local

people – nobody has to move.

• Addressing maintenance backlogs would generate extensive opportunities for skills development and job creation. (At least half a million full-time jobs)

• But ways have to be found to make it happen.

• Shortfalls in management• Shortages of skilled people• Infrastructure backlogs• Maintenance not (much)

done• Public infrastructure owners

often unwilling to consider outside service providers

An innovative model

• The ‘social exchange’ model utilises concepts formulated by CSIR and others.

• It involves creating partnerships for skills development and job creation on the basis of exchange principles relating to quality control and mutual incentives.

• Locally-based emergent micro-entrepreneurs are developed, trained and mentored.

• The infrastructure owners pay, from their budgets annually allocated for operation and maintenence, for the maintenance services provided by the micro-entrepreneurs.

• Previously unemployed people living in the surrounding areas are engaging in learning and paid work.

How it works

The social exchange model also provides the “15,000km service” for municipal services:•Rural and smalltown households•Operational plans for different types of toilets•Safe on-site disposal•Speed of service

Municipal work

• Appropriate training, and skills-related and financial assistance with setting up the micro-businesses.

• Thereafter continues to provide structured learning in the form of mentoring, and also further training – and innovation - as and when necessary.

Role of partner

Training of prospective micro-entrepreneurs includes:

•Technology of on-site sanitation facilities and rural water systems

•Occupational Health & Safety•Environmental management practices•Solid waste handling and disposal•Health and hygiene education •Basic plumbing / rainwater harvesting•Pump operation and maintenance•Basic business management and

administration

Some of our micro-entrepreneurs

Nocawe LupuwanaA former teacher from the Idutywa areaHas worked with Impilo Yabantu since 2009, on over 300 schools and 800 households, improving hygiene facilitiesCurrently employs 12 peopleEnjoys the work, even though it is hard. She sees the difference it makes to learners and is proud of what she has achieved. The job has earned her respect within her community and thanks for the changes she has made to peoples’ lives.

Some of our micro-entrepreneurs (2)

Phoka JankieTrained as plumberHas worked with Impilo Yabantu since 2010 on over 350 schools and 600 households, Currently employs 6 peopleEnjoys the job because he likes to help people and finds the support offered invaluable in making his business successful

• Professionalisation of services and approach.

• Incentives reinforce good service delivery practice.

• Micro-entrepreneurs in businesses for themselves but not by themselves.

• Partner develops and tests new methods and technologies – micro-enrepreneurs then trained in these.

• Attributes:– Extends capacity of organisations.– Flexible to specific conditions.– Develops local skills.

Potential

Addressing national goals• Development of skills in the workplace;• Job creation at the lowest economic levels

where unemployment is highest and workplace skills are limited;

• Micro-enterprise creation and nurturing; • Broad-based black economic

empowerment; and• Infrastructure and service delivery,

through infrastructure maintenance activities that increase the quality and reliability of services.

The way forward

To go forward, need (1 of 2):

• Commitment by owners of infrastructure to budget for maintenance.

• Commitment by owners to pay for work done.• Also their commitment to partner with

organisations which can employ and impart skills to emergent micro-entrepreneurs, and to their employees who have entry-level skills.

• That is, job assurance first, training afterwards. But the methods (and training programmes, operation manuals, etc)

need to be prepared ahead of time.

To go forward, need (2 of 2):To develop the social exchange model so that it can

tackle other parts of the water services cycle and also other types of infrastructure:•Funding for development of further applications, and thereafter piloting of each application.•Once each application has been developed and tested, placing the resulting information in the public domain.•To move to higher levels of technology, which will require on-going learning on the part of the social exchange partners, and the micro-entrepreneurs and their employees.