From classroom to workshop

Dirk van Niekerk, Managing Director of Kraatz Marine earlier this month welcomed students of the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) for their apprenticeship at Kraatz in Walvis Bay.
“Kraatz has been taking apprentices since the very beginning of the company but we have become more actively engaged with NIMT over the past 3 years to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship for our Namibian youth,” he said.
Kraatz employs apprentices in boiler making; fitting-and-turning; and welding. “Kraatz always needs a good mix of practical and academics. The most important part is a positive attitude and a willingness to learn,” said Van Niekerk.
On the future of the apprentices Van Niekerk said: “In general we have a good retention of students but we also realize that exposure within multiple organisations and industry is a key part of professional growth. We further experience that former students return to Kraatz after they have obtained exposure at other organisations. As long as they find meaningful employment, we are happy.”