Constraints leading to the shortage of skilled motor mechanics in South Africa

In a research study, which focused on a strategy to link informal and formal motor mechanic artisan training, a number of constraints leading to the shortage of artisans in general were identified in the literature. Disparities between big businesses and the informal sector were highlighted. Emphasis was placed on the need for a growth initiative, which would include the informal practising motor mechanic, to address the key constraints and obstacles encountered in the development and implementation of artisan training for South Africa. The study was explorative and a qualitative research design followed. The researcher used semi-structured interviews to collect data from 16 (n = 16) experts in the field of training automotive artisans. A purposive snowball sampling method was applied to select participants from educational sectors (public and private FET colleges), automotive organisations and organised labour with the common characteristic of involvement in the training of motor mechanic artisans. The key themes identified in the different participants’ responses formed the data for the study, which was analysed by means of the ATLAS.ti 7.0 version data analysis program. The research confirmed that a strategy could be developed to successfully link the informal and formal motor mechanic artisan communities