Internship programme in co-operation with Agbiz Grain members
Agbiz Grain and the Peritum Agri Institute are joining forces to grow a pipeline of work-ready grain silo managers in South Africa. This initiative afford 85 young people access to a career in grain storage, whilst addressing the dire skills shortage in grain depot management.
South Africa produces an average of 13,5 million tonnes of maize and another 1,9 million tonnes of wheat annually. In addition to this, other grains such as barley and sorghum as well as oilseeds such as sunflower, canola and soybeans are also grown at scale.
Approximately 70% of this grain and oilseeds produced in South Africa are stored by the twelve members of Agbiz Grain. Collectively, these companies have 334 silo complexes that include concrete silos, silo bags, and bunkers.
The intake and storage of grains and oilseeds is in the hands of a grain depot manager who ensures that the product is classified and graded according to the Agricultural Product Standards Act (ACT No. 119 OF 1990) before it is allowed to be traded. Scavengers also dry, aerate, and smoke the product for safe storage.
Getting a grain silo manager professionally ready through exposure or work experience takes between eight and twelve years and as a result this profession has been listed by AgriSeta as a critical and scarce skill. Agbiz Grain took the initiative and developed a qualification for the training of grain silo managers. The Occupational Certificate: Grain Depot Manager was accredited by the QCTO in 2023.
Peritum Agri Institute was the first, and currently only, training company to obtain accreditation to offer this qualification. Peritum College, located in the Free State, is currently the largest private agricultural college in South Africa.
And here’s the good news!
Agbiz Grain members in the grain silo industry in South Africa, in collaboration with Peritum College, are now offering matriculants and young people under the age of 25 the chance to pursue a career in grain storage!
The Occupational Certificate: Grain Depot Manager, is a practice-oriented study that is completed over a two-year period and prepares the student for a profession in grain storage management.
In 2025, a guaranteed internship will be offered to 70 young South Africans who enrol for this field of study at the Peritum Agri Institute.
In 2025, enrolled students will attend seven academic study weeks at the Peritum Campus, followed by online study of the academic material and TEAMS-based time with their lecturers. During this year, students complete the theoretical content of the qualification. They will also have the opportunity to visit the agricultural company where they will be placed for internships.
In year two, 2026, students will be placed at a grain silo for 10 months for workplace-based learning. This placement allows the students to complete the practical components of the qualification and the tasks associated with it.
In 2027, the placement changes to a paid internship with the same agribusiness. It offers students the opportunity to gain sufficient work experience before they take the final examination in the qualification at the end of 2028.
This programme not only accelerates the development process of grain silo managers, it also provides an affordable opportunity for young South Africans to obtain both a relevant qualification and job placement in the agricultural sector.
Internship placements are available in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, the Free State and Western Cape.
Enquiries can be directed to Odette Shepperson, Marketing Manager at the Peritum Agri Institute. She can be contacted at marketing@peritumagri.com or by phone at 051-4511120.
