Building The Next Generation Of Lifting Professionals
Developing a competent rigger takes classroom learning, repeated practical application, and experience in the workplace. The Rigging Academy of South Africa (RASA) brings these elements together through occupational training, assessment and trade-test preparation, helping learners build skills relevant to the demands of the lifting industry.
With operations in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, and Johannesburg, Gauteng, RASA supports people at different stages of their careers. Its programmes serve new entrants seeking a technical qualification, employees developing specialist skills and experienced workers pursuing formal recognition of their competence.
A structured route into rigging
The Academy’s flagship programme is the Occupational Certificate: Rigger, NQF Level 4, SAQA ID 102856. Delivered over approximately four years, the programme combines theoretical knowledge, practical skills and workplace experience, providing a progressive route towards occupational competence and trade testing. RASA reports MerSETA accreditation and QCTO accreditation as an Assessment Centre and Trade Test Centre, with the Occupational Certificate: Rigger included in its approved scope.
These capabilities allow the Academy to support learners through training, preparation and formal assessment. Alongside the occupational programme, RASA offers modular training in basic, intermediate and advanced rigging, banksman duties, lifting tackle inspection and the safe lifting and positioning of loads. Its wider portfolio includes crane and forklift operation, working at heights, confined spaces, fall protection planning and risk assessment.
This range enables employers to address specific skills needs while giving individuals opportunities to extend their knowledge as their responsibilities change. Short courses sit within a broader approach to career development, supported by practical learning and assessment.
Recognition for experienced workers
For people who have gained skills through years of work, Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning provides a route towards formal recognition. RASA offers toolkit assessments, gap analysis, additional training and trade-test preparation to help candidates identify and address areas requiring further development. The emphasis is on establishing competence before assessment. Learners can build on existing experience while strengthening the knowledge and practical skills needed to progress towards a recognised trade qualification.
Practical training connected to industry
Practical application is central to RASA’s training model. The Academy’s facilities include classrooms, two large practical training yards, a dedicated training tower and a trade-test centre, supported by crane trucks, forklifts, lifting equipment and safety resources.
These facilities give learners opportunities to apply theory in simulated working environments. Handling equipment, following procedures and completing practical tasks help learners understand how their decisions affect a lifting operation and why each safety requirement matters.
Learning from trade experience
RASA reports that its four training personnel hold Red Seal Rigger qualifications and collectively bring approximately 50 years of industry and training experience. The team includes assessment and moderation expertise, connecting practical trade knowledge with structured learning and evaluation. For learners, this provides access to people familiar with the technical challenges and working conditions they can expect in industry. It also supports training that considers the planning, communication and safety behaviours needed alongside practical ability.
Connecting training with the workplace
The Academy works with companies in engineering, rigging, machine moving and construction to keep its programmes relevant to workplace requirements. These relationships help identify skills needs, support employee development and create opportunities for learners to gain workplace exposure.
RASA also operates alongside its sister company, MME – Machine Moving and Engineering. This relationship provides a practical connection to operational work and helps the Academy maintain an understanding of the competencies and behaviours employers require. The aim is to strengthen the link between learning and employment. Workplace experience allows learners to develop in an operational setting, while feedback from employers can inform future training. Employment opportunities depend on available positions and individual readiness, rather than following automatically from course completion.
Safety throughout the learning process
Safety is integrated into RASA’s occupational and practical training. Learners encounter subjects including rigging safety, lifting tackle, equipment inspection, crane operations, working at heights and safe workplace practices. The Academy’s approach recognises that technical skill must be accompanied by the ability to identify hazards, follow appropriate procedures and understand the limits of one’s competence. Practical training provides opportunities to develop these habits before taking on greater responsibility at work.
As South Africa moves from legacy trade training towards occupational qualifications, RASA is adapting its curriculum while retaining the practical knowledge associated with the rigging trade. Its focus remains on preparing learners for work that requires both technical ability and dependable safety judgement.
Opening pathways into technical careers
RASA’s people-development approach includes creating awareness of technical careers among young people and expanding access for those who may otherwise struggle to enter the industry. The Academy sees career guidance, relevant training and workplace exposure as connected parts of that process.
Supporting wider participation
The Academy identifies unemployed people and women as important groups within its development plans. It continues to explore funding and bursary opportunities that could help unemployed learners access technical training, while seeking stronger partnerships with employers and other training providers. RASA also aims to increase women’s participation in rigging and lifting. One example described by the Academy is a female moderator who completed its programme, gained practical industry experience and returned to contribute to training.
Her progression illustrates how occupational learning and workplace experience can lead to further responsibilities within the sector. Planned initiatives include open days at the Academy’s training centres, school career expos and additional engagement between learners and employers. These activities are intended to help young people understand the work involved in technical occupations and the routes available to enter them.
Developing the existing workforce
People development also extends to employees already working in industry. Changes in equipment, working methods and responsibilities create a continuing need for upskilling and targeted gap training. RASA’s modular programmes give employers a way to address these needs alongside longer occupational pathways. For experienced personnel, assessment and trade-test preparation can support progression towards formal qualifications. For new entrants, the occupational programme provides a structured foundation. Together, these services allow the Academy to support development across different stages of a working career.
Building capacity for the future
RASA’s plans include expanding industry partnerships, increasing learner intake, broadening specialist short courses and creating more opportunities for workplace experience. It also intends to strengthen relationships between training providers and employers so that skills development remains connected to industry demand.
The value of this approach lies in how its elements work together. Formal learning gives people a technical foundation; practical training allows them to apply it; workplace exposure develops their understanding of operational requirements; and assessment provides a route towards recognition of competence.
For the lifting industry, developing this combination takes sustained cooperation between learners, trainers and employers. RASA’s contribution centres on maintaining those connections and helping people develop the skills and confidence to progress into responsible technical work.
Rigging Academy of South Africa,
+27 (0) 11 824 5172,
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