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8
Skills Development
I
n the early years, management realised that end-user
training must be part of the offering if Hydraform was to
protect itself from the adverse effects of casual or sloppy
processing by users on site.
At a basic level, Hydraform trained people in the
best ways to make soil-cement blocks and how best
to construct buildings with dry-stacked masonry. As
the company’s range of machines grew, it became
apparent that something more was needed – something
with a more rigorous structure and certification process.
Hydraform now offers both on-site training and
academy-based training in South Africa.
On-site training
On-site training requires a Hydraform technician to travel
to the site and train the teamon themachine purchased.
The benefit of this is that the training takes place in the
environment in which construction will be done and it
enables the technician to assist with blockyard setup
and soil selection.
The on-site training programmes can also be tailored to
suit individual requirements and/or local conditions, while
additional support is available for long-term projects.
The courses are available in a variety of languages and
have been facilitated across the developing world from
pastoral areas of South America to deep rural African
villages and across the Indian subcontinent.
The Hydraform academy
Academy training takes place at the Hydraform offices
in Johannesburg, South Africa, and consists of an intense
two-week theoretical and practical course. Attendees
are usually those who will be involved in running the site,
such as the site foreman, engineers, and so on.
The training curriculum takes users through the
blockmaking process from start to finish, beginning with
the mixing and production of trial batches using the
materials at hand. The instruction covers blockmaking,
curing, and of course building with the Hydraform
Building System.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of Hydraform blockmaking machines is the opportunity
they provide for skills transfer and sustainable job creation.
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