Sweet-Orr boosts skills development with R2.5-million in protective workwear and safety boots as SA’s skills gap threatens infrastructure recovery. This is part one of a two-part series.
Denver Berman-Jacob, executive director at Sweet-Orr. Supplied by Sweet-Orr
In South Africa’s HVAC and broader industrial sectors, AI is often seen as the ultimate solution to productivity and efficiency challenges. However, Sweet-Orr, one of the country’s leading protective workwear manufacturers, warns that without investing in skilled trades, even the most advanced technology cannot keep systems running. From maintaining refrigeration units to servicing HVAC pipelines, human expertise remains irreplaceable.
Artificial intelligence may dominate global conversations about the future of work, but South Africa’s economy will collapse without skilled trades, warns one of the country’s oldest protective workwear manufacturers. As AI accelerates, Sweet-Orr is calling for balance – urging that while innovation is essential, the nation must not lose sight of the human hands that keep its industries moving.
“Technology and trades must coexist, with digital progress matched by investment in the skilled workforce that powers South Africa’s infrastructure, energy and industrial sectors,” said Denver Berman-Jacob, executive director at Sweet-Orr. He adds that trades remain central to employment and economic stability at a time when South Africa’s official unemployment rate rose to 33.2% in the second quarter of 2025, while the expanded rate, which includes discouraged jobseekers, stands at nearly 43%.
AI can’t replace the human touch
“We are excited about the future of AI. But while attention is fixed on what’s next, unemployment keeps rising, and we’re not setting up the second generation for opportunity. So the question is, how can we help now, in the meantime? We can do that by building and protecting the sectors that keep South Africa working,” says Berman-Jacob.
Berman-Jacob says the country must strike a balance between innovation and inclusion: “AI is transforming many sectors, but no machine can replace the plumber who fixes your pipes, the electrician who restores your power, or the miners who extract our natural resources. Skilled trades are still the backbone of this economy.”
Source: Supplied by Sweet-Orr
