First Botswana apprentices to complete Volvo construction equipment training

Congratulations to Kabelo Thejane, Douglas Morris and James Morris who are the first apprentices at Babcock’s Botswana branch in Gaborone to have completed the Babcock/Volvo apprenticeship programme. The trio obtained their National Artisan Certificates from QCTO (Quality Council for Trades & Occupations), equivalent to an NQF level 4 qualification, in November 2020.

Kobus Nortje, Regional Manager Service Equipment for Babcock in Botswana, explains that the four-year apprenticeship comprises machine-specific training to upskill apprentices in a specific trade direction. “On completion, the apprentice is not merely a generalist artisan but becomes qualified as a specialist with a specific skill set.
 
“We are very proud of all three graduates. Both Doug and James received apprentice of the year awards, individually outperforming other students in South Africa, while Kabelo showed remarkable industry knowledge and worked his way up from a workshop assistant in South Africa to full artisan status. All three will be presented with fulltime employment to further their careers with Babcock as specialist artisans,” says Kobus.
 
Employing 45 people, Babcock’s equipment business in Botswana offers sales, service and part sales for the Volvo Construction Equipment range, as well as SDLG, Sennebogen, Tadano and Winget. Babcock has been the official Volvo Construction Equipment distribution agent in Botswana since 2015, although Babcock has been in the country since 2006 offering plant rental services, serving the mining, agriculture, government and construction sectors.