Cape Town – A group of 28 manufacturers in the leather and footwear industry left for China on Sunday for a three-month training programme in shoe design and manufacturing techniques.
“The Chinese government has agreed to support the efforts of South African government by contributing to the upgrading of scarce skills in our textile and clothing industry,” Department of Trade and Industry (dti) Minister Rob Davies said in a statement.
“The capacity development programme is part of our efforts to increase the number of skilled entrepreneurs within the leather and footwear sector, in order to enhance the sector’s competitiveness,” said Davies.
The trip was facilitated by the dti and the group, which consists of shoe manufacturers from Gauteng, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. It will be based in Fuzhou City, where participants will receive training in footwear design and manufacturing technology until September.
According to Davies, the department has already invested close to R3.5bn in the Clothing and Textiles Competitiveness Programme, an intervention aimed at saving the cllothing, textile, leather and footwear sectors.
“The main impact of the programme has been the stabilisation of the sectors, the saving of over 67 000 jobs, and the creation of a significant number of new, decent and sustainable employment opportunities,” said Davies.
The participants will acquire advanced skills in template making and tailoring as well as designing techniques, and an ability to integrate traditional techniques with modern technological means in shoe-making.
According Davies, the programme is part of the implementation of an agreement signed between South Africa and China last year.
He added that the clothing, textiles, leather and footwear industry is one of the priority sectors identified as key drivers of economic growth and employment creation in the Industrial Policy Action Policy Plan.