If you have been told that university is the only route to a successful career, South Africa’s artisan pathway is worth a closer look.
Artisans are skilled workers who build, install, repair, and maintain the systems and equipment that keep industries running. Electricians, plumbers, welders, boilermakers, millwrights, fitters and turners, diesel mechanics, and other trades all fall into this broad category. Contrary to popular belief, becoming an artisan does not require a traditional university degree.
The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) describes an artisan as a skilled worker who is formally trained and tested. The training combines theory, practical learning, and workplace experience before the candidate completes a final trade test.
So, how do you become an artisan?
There isn’t only one route, but the most important part is to follow the guide below.
1. Choose a trade.
Start by deciding what type of work interests you.
Some of the trades recognised for trade testing include:
- Electrician
- Millwright
- Boiler maker
- Diesel mechanic
- Fitter and turner
- Mechanical fitter
- Automotive motor mechanic
- Instrument mechanic
- Bricklayer
- Plumber
- Welder
The right trade depends on your interests, strengths, and the opportunities available in your area.
2. Get technical training.
One route is through a TVET college, which is available to all South Africans. TVET stands for Technical and Vocational Education and Training. These colleges offer vocational and technical programmes, including NATED and occupational programmes that can be linked to artisan careers. DHET says there are currently 50 registered and accredited public TVET colleges operating across South Africa, with hundreds of campuses.
Depending on the trade and programme, students may enter with different levels of schooling. DHET’s artisan pathway recognises routes including Grade 9, Grade 12, and relevant technical qualifications.
But completing a college course does not automatically make you a qualified artisan, and this is where it gets frustrating for many young people! The workplace component matters, and it’s not easy to get the placement.
3. Get workplace experience.
Artisan training is heavily practical, and an apprenticeship allows a learner to work under the supervision of a qualified artisan while developing the practical skills needed for the trade. DHET describes apprenticeships as combining theoretical learning with on-the-job training. This has to be one of the biggest differences between simply studying a subject and learning a trade. You aren’t only learning about electrical work, welding, or mechanical systems. You are learning how to actually do the work.
Apprenticeships can vary in duration depending on the trade and programme, with DHET indicating periods of roughly 18 to 36 months for some apprenticeship routes.
4. Complete your training and prepare for the trade test.
After gaining the required theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and workplace experience, the candidate can progress towards the trade test. This is an important part of the process because it assesses whether the candidate has reached the required standard for the trade. Trade testing is regulated nationally, with the National Artisan Moderation Body (NAMB) playing a role in moderating trade tests and maintaining national artisan development systems.
5. Pass the trade test and qualify.
Successfully completing the required process and passing the trade test leads to recognition as a qualified artisan. That qualification can then become the foundation for employment, further skills development, and career progression. There is also a route for experienced workers who did not follow the traditional training pathway.
What if you already have years of experience?
South Africa has an Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning (ARPL) route.
This is designed to recognise skills gained through previous work and learning. DHET’s artisan development information states that candidates using the ARPL route must meet specific requirements, including being at least 19 and having at least 36 months of experience in the relevant trade. That means years of practical experience do not necessarily have to count for nothing simply because someone did not follow the conventional college-to-apprenticeship route.
Where can you study?
The first place to look is the public TVET college system. DHET maintains an official list of public TVET colleges and their campuses.
Examples include:
KwaZulu-Natal
- Coastal TVET College
- Elangeni TVET College
- Esayidi TVET College
- Majuba TVET College
- Mnambithi TVET College
- Mthashana TVET College
- Thekwini TVET College
- Umfolozi TVET College
- Umgungundlovu TVET College
There are also public TVET colleges across Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the North West, Free State, and the Northern Cape. Find the full list here.
The important thing is to check whether the specific campus offers the trade or occupational programme you want. Not every college offers every trade.
Is becoming an artisan worth considering?
For someone who enjoys practical work, technical problem-solving, and working with equipment, it can be a serious career option. It also challenges the assumption that a successful career has to begin with a university degree, but remember, there are no shortcuts!
Becoming a qualified artisan requires training, practical experience, workplace learning, and ultimately passing the relevant trade test. And, as our recent payslip example demonstrates, a skilled trade can potentially lead to substantial earnings—although income varies significantly according to the trade, employer, experience, industry, and overtime worked. The lesson isn’t that everyone should skip university.
How much do artisans earn?
It is important that young people should know all their options before choosing a career path.
For some, the right classroom may be a university lecture hall. For others, it may be a TVET workshop, an apprenticeship, and eventually a trade test. Both can lead somewhere! Look at this 25-year-old from Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, who built his own car; his journey began in his yard, not even a formal training environment.
Written by Admin
