ECA Mentorships

[skatingsparks]

Hi Guys

Just wondering if any of you guys have been involved in the ECA Mentoring programs/apprenticeship training.

Way back in 2014 the ECA offered to Train our apprentice as part of a government backed training scheme.

We thought it would be good for one of our staff so we said ok. The apprentice goes off for about 6 weeks a year and gets trained - good stuff -good for the me - good for my guy

We then found out we get payments for mentor ship and stipends which helps cover the cost off his time of and wages etc. - bonus

I don't mind paying my staff wages whilst they to go be trained - he deserves - he's a good guy.

I do mind spending a couple of hours every month messing around with paper work which so far gained me nothing other than messed up books.

The payout would have been a bonus. The thing that is getting on my tits is that our books, a beautifully run system, has this mess on top of it.

Every month we have to explain to the book keeper (who doesn't understand why we have outstanding invoices from December 2014 and we haven't handed them over) and now at the end of the tax year our nicely run account system has this mess sitting on top of it (again).

The paper has been sent when ever they requested it, monthly, since December 2014 and NOTHING has come of it.

Has anyone had any payout from this because I have wasted a LOT of time doing this paper work for them and now the end of teh tax year is coming up i know its going to be another ball ache.

[Dave A]

I can tell you the ECA continues to wrestle with CETA for the payment of those stipends (and more besides).

Every now and then they have some progress and some contractors get paid out. There's even been some paid up your way. Without doubt it's been a nightmare though.

[Dave A]

There's still hope. There's been another batch of stipend payouts in KZN. I'm told the ECA's still working on the balance.

[skatingsparks]

After quite a few years I can only recommend that contractors don't bother with this training thing/mentorship/stipends. Its more time and trouble than its worth (having been paid out R0 so far). I would have been financially better of doing actual electrical work than doing all this paper work and redoing again and driving there and back runner around.... If I had know then what I know now - I wouldn't have got involved.

[Dave A]

If I had know then what I know now - I wouldn't have got involved.

Fair to say that seems to be the broad sentiment within the ECA (SA) when it comes to those CETA contracts from circa 2012 to 2014.

Fortunately lessons have been learned and the current training initiative in conjunction with the NSF seems to be working out really well.
Totally different structure to the contract though.
And it's the NSF (vs CETA).