Bühler Hosts Quality Apprenticeship Event in South Africa
The second Global Apprenticeship Network event in South Africa brought together industry, skills specialists and international partners in late October 2026.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Job Fairs
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Bühler Southern Africa hosted the second Global Apprenticeship Network event on quality apprenticeships in South Africa in late October 2026. The event, titled 'Advancing Value-Chain Quality Apprenticeships in South Africa, Part 2', followed discussions held in June.
Why it matters
Youth unemployment for people aged 15 to 34 in South Africa reached 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026, underscoring the need for work-based training pathways. Expanding quality apprenticeships requires collaboration among employers, training institutions and government.
Bühler trained 524 apprentices across 24 locations worldwide in 2025, and 67% of Swiss apprentices who completed training in August 2025 chose to continue with the company. The source does not provide South African apprentice totals, and the proposed exchange pilot remains unconfirmed.
The players
Bühler Southern Africa
The South African arm of the Swiss industrial technology group Bühler, which runs apprenticeship programmes based on the Swiss dual-vocational model.
Rachael Madziwanyika
CFO and Head of HR at Bühler Southern Africa, who oversees the company's human resources and financial functions in the region.
Kathryn Rowan
Executive Director of GAN Global, the international network promoting quality apprenticeship standards.
Shanita Roopnarain
CEO of the Swiss-South African Cooperation Initiative (SSACI), a bilateral programme supporting skills development between the two countries.
The details
Bühler Southern Africa hosted the event with industry representatives, skills development specialists and international partners. A proposed apprentice exchange pilot would see three apprentices from each of Bühler Johannesburg and National Foods Zimbabwe spend three months at the partner organisation, with a potential start date of 1 February 2027.
Timeline
June 2026: Earlier discussions held on apprenticeship partnerships.
Late October 2026: Second Global Apprenticeship Network event hosted by Bühler Southern Africa.
1 February 2027: Potential start date for the proposed apprentice exchange pilot.
Market Landscape
Bühler is exporting the Swiss dual-vocational apprenticeship model, which spans ten vocational fields at its programmes, into South African operations. The Swiss model's retention figure, with 67% of completing apprentices staying with the company, is the benchmark against which the South African expansion is being positioned.
For South African job seekers, the proposed pilot offers a three-month placement route into industrial apprenticeships. Prospective apprentices should watch for formal application calls ahead of the proposed 1 February 2027 start date.
The takeaway
Quality apprenticeships depend on employers, training institutions and government working together, and cross-border exchanges can widen the learning experience for young workers. Job seekers interested in such programmes should track employer announcements closely.
Further reading
Explore more on Job Fairs to see how employers are building apprenticeship and recruitment pipelines in South Africa.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Crown.
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