The South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) today announced it has a serious concern with government’s amendments to the SETA Grant Regulations.

The building industry has done little to help solve its own skills shortage over the past year, the Gauteng Master Builders Association (GMBA) said on Thursday.

What the industry needed was a unified approach to skills training, GMBA president Neil Duncan said in a statement.

"A large number of independent company training initiatives have been, and are being, implemented, and should be commended. But we need to strive for a more unified approach which would be more effective and ensure consistency in training content and standards."

The problem was complex in that labour-only sub-contractors -- who were responsible for a lot of construction work -- did not contribute to the skills development levy, and were not answerable to employers.

"They do not have the desire, time or financial resources to participate in skills development. There is no doubt that apathy and frustration exist among employers in dealing with the issue," Duncan said.

The independent training initiatives were attempts to alleviate internal skills shortages, but they needed to be aligned with recognised qualifications.

He called for the Construction Education and Training Authority and the building industry to work together on addressing the skills shortages.