German firm partners Construction Kaiser on artisans training

Leading global construction company, PERI Formwork and Scaffolding Nigeria Limited has officially aligned its operations with Construction Kaiser Limited (CKL), an indigenous for the training of over 5,000 artisans in Lagos.

Under the agreement, PERI will be providing free training, as Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) collaborates with Construction Kaiser Limited to train the artisans, in the use of Form Work at the Lagos State Employability Support Project.

The Guardian learnt that the agreement is to empower residents by creating employment for the youths, reducing poverty and crime and ensuring that works are executed in a safe manner thereby eliminating unfortunate incidences attributed to formwork and scaffolding during construction processes.
   

Research shows that over 50per cent of fatalities on construction sites are as a result of weak scaffolding, wrong formwork placement and poor training in the use of formwork but the collaboration between the two firms seeks to bridge that gap through the deployment of cutting edge technology and skill in the use of PERI’s renowned formwork and continuous training.
  
Expectedly, the partnership will help to drastically reduce occurrences of building collapse due to formwork failure in projects and ensure that quality standards are maintained. It will also enable CKL deploy PERI products optimally.
 
At the signing of the agreement in Lagos, the Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Construction Kaiser, Igbuan Okaisabor, explained that the relationship also covers the pre-contract, contract and post contract stages particularly in providing skills for the artisans   on the company’s construction sites. He stated that the artisans are thereafter expected to impact the knowledge and skills acquired to positive influence the sector in Nigeria.
  
Okaisabor, an engineer, emphasised that globally, latest technological innovations for construction are been deployed and Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind in adopting global best practices on how to work safely, efficiently and with quality in mind.

“This affiliation is indeed of great importance because of the ingenuity of the technical innovations that CKL will leverage on in her operations and to develop local content. Starting as a small 5-man organization carrying out minor renovation works, the company has grown to become a national force in the Nigerian construction industry. The Lagos regional office was established in 2003 and the Abuja regional office in 2008, having successfully executed various projects in the South-South and South-Eastern parts of the country prior to the expansion”, he said.
   
On his part, the Managing Director of PERI Formwork and Scaffolding Nigeria Limited, Stefan Euchenhofer stated that the agreement is the first of his company in Nigeria noting that the firm is more interested in investing in emerging international markets like Nigeria with qualified labour force and improved business environment.

“Nigerian construction industry has a great future, more indigenous companies are interested in going with modern technology thus moving away from old ways of doing thing. PERI is based in Germany and is the world’s largest manufacturer of formwork and scaffolding. We presently have more than 70 subsidiaries and over 120 logistics centers currently operational. The company employs over 8,100 employees worldwide and definitely has blazed the trail for formwork and scaffolding innovation in Nigeria”, he stated.According to him, the growth of the sector is expected to peak up in the nearest future going by massive construction on-going in places like; Lagos, Port-Harcourt and Abuja.