Workers from the construction industry in Uganda have spoken of the huge benefits of attending Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) certified scaffolding and work-at-height training.
Total Energies Uganda partnered with training provider The Assessment and Skilling Centre (TASC) to deliver the ECITB Global training to 50 trainees between July and September this year.
They were upskilled in the erection of safe and stable scaffoldings for working at height, risk assessments and scaffold dismantling procedures.
Trainee Nannozi Sandra Wajja, from Adapt Technical Services, a construction company in Uganda, thanked employers for allowing workers to leave their jobs for over two months to attend the training.
She added: “The training was beneficial, educational and technical and we learnt things we didn’t even know we were supposed to know.
“This training is crucial in the construction industry. We cannot thank Total and TASC enough as the training is beneficial not just for Total as the sponsor but for the companies we come from, which are everyday businesses.”
Trainee Nannozi (pictured above, left) said: “We’re going to take on what we have learnt, but the benefits are not only limited to us as trainees as they will have an impact on those around us in our companies. The lessons will be applied daily and there is also going to be an impact in how we deliver to all our different clients.”
Training ‘adds value to your career’
Fellow trainee Allen Magero, from Njeru Technical Services, thanked Total for “giving me this opportunity” to attend the training.
She said: “The instructors were so good. I learnt a lot about work-at-height health and safety, how to erect an independent scaffold and a cantilever, how to do housekeeping and how to use PPE.
Female trainees that attended the TASC training, including Allen Magero, sixth from the left
“I’ve benefited from the training and will be able to pass on what I have learnt to my colleagues at work. I also want to encourage more people to apply for such programmes, especially women, because it is beneficial and adds value to your career.”
The training was designed to equip trainees with the skills and knowledge needed to work in the oil and gas sector.
TASC said the training will help minimise the risks and injuries associated with working at height. It added that scaffolding and work-at-height training are “crucial for safeguarding workers, complying with regulations, and improving efficiency” and that it is an “essential investment for any industry where employees work at height to ensure the wellbeing of the workforce”.