The skills development and job
creation potential of
infrastructure maintenance:
a social exchange model
Kevin Wall
University of Pretoria
Human Settlements Portfolio Committee
Cape 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.
How it works
• Locally-based emergent microentrepreneurs 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 microentrepreneurs.
• Previously unemployed people living in the
surrounding areas are engaging in learning
and paid work.
Municipal work
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
Role of partner
• Appropriate training, and skillsrelated 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.
Training of prospective microentrepreneurs 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 Lupuwana
A former teacher from the
Idutywa area
Has worked with Impilo Yabantu
since 2009, on over 300 schools
and 800 households, improving
hygiene facilities
Currently employs 12 people
Enjoys 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 microentrepreneurs (2)
Phoka Jankie
Trained as plumber
Has worked with Impilo Yabantu
since 2010 on over 350 schools
and 600 households,
Currently employs 6 people
Enjoys the job because he likes
to help people and finds the
support offered invaluable in
making his business successful
Potential
• 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 – microenrepreneurs then trained in these.
• Attributes:
– Extends capacity of organisations.
– Flexible to specific conditions.
– Develops local skills.
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 microentrepreneurs and their employees.