John Roxburgh, lecturer at the School of Concrete Technology, recently conducted training in Lagos.
Training in concrete technology in high demand in Africa
Training provided by The Concrete Institute’s School of Concrete Technology is increasingly in demand in a number of sub-Saharan countries.
John Roxburgh, lecturer at the School of Concrete Technology, has recently conducted the School’s SCT20 Concrete Practice course in Lagos, Nigeria. The popular one-day course – organised for Key Account Managers of LafargeHolcim – includes a laboratory session and deals with, for example, the properties of concrete; mixing as well as placing and compacting concrete; formwork, reinforcement and joints; precast, pre-stressed and low-density as well as hot weather concrete.
Bryan Perrie, MD of The Concrete Institute, earlier this year also provided technical assistance for the construction of a new highway near Nairobi, Kenya.
Perrie in early July this year also conducted the School’s SCT22 Concrete Road Design and Construction course in Lusaka, Zambia. This course – which was attended by 18 civil engineering consultants – was presented in conjunction with the South African Road Federation. It is likely that the School will be asked to present further SCT22 courses in Zambia in future. The one-day training focuses on the technology applied in the construction of concrete pavements and covers aspects such as supporting layers, thickness design (using The Concrete Institute’s cncPave computer program), as well as joint design, detailing and layout among many other subjects.
Perrie is a global authority on concrete pavements and currently is vice-president of the International Society for Concrete Pavements, based in Washington.
The School is also likely to present training in Namibia later this year, and training presented by The Concrete Institute at the School in Midrand often draws students from other parts of Africa, including Ghana, Uganda, and Lesotho.
‘’In addition to the requests for training from other African countries, the School also has many distance learning students for our SCT41 and 42 correspondence courses: General Principles and Practical Applications of Concrete Technology & Construction. These courses are equivalent to stages 2 and 3 of training offered by the Institute of Concrete Technology in London, and ICT certificates are awarded to successful learners. The 2016 correspondence courses will start in September and we again expect strong support from sub-Saharan Africa,” said Roxburgh.
He added that the increasing recognition of School of Concrete Technology training by other African countries is testimony to the unmatched track record and respected status of the School. “With increasing unaccredited and unqualified training in concrete technology now being offered in South Africa, the School of Concrete Technology remains the trusted and leading provider of education in its field on the entire African continent.”