All smaller companies in the construction industry should ensure that new junior and non-technical staff are “introduced to concrete” as part of their initial in-house training to ensure that they deal with customers professionally right from the outset, says John Roxburgh, senior lecturer at the Cement & Concrete SA (CCSA) School of Concrete Technology.

Concrete course essential… and popular!

“This is why the School of Concrete Technology’s course, ‘SCT10 introduction to concrete’, is so popular. New or smaller companies should regard it as essential for all new junior staff – in fact, every employee who deals with the public – to attend. Customers who must struggle to explain their needs or inquiries to total industry novices, who incredulously sometimes have not learned the difference between cement and concrete, are likely to give such companies a wide berth in the future,” Roxburgh says.

Topics to be addressed

The topics to be covered in the course, which includes practical laboratory sessions, include:

• Properties and materials for concrete.
• Receiving and storing materials.
• Batching, mixing and testing concrete.
• Transporting, placing and compacting concrete.
• Finishing and surface preparation.
• Protecting new concrete surfaces and curing.
• Formwork and reinforcement.
• Sand-cement mixes.
• Durability of concrete.

The course is usually presented by School of Concrete Technology lecturer, Matthews Magwaza, who is not only vastly experienced in laboratory training but can also speak five African languages to assist learners who do not have English as language.

For more information, contact the CCSA School of Concrete Technology:
Tel: +27 11 315 0300
Website: www.cemcon-sa.org.za

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