South Africa's long-term development projections are closely tied to the strength and sustainability of its local government institutions. Municipalities remain the frontline of service delivery, they are responsible for the infrastructure that enables communities to access basic services, i.e. water, sanitation, roads, solid waste removal and electricity.
Ensuring that municipalities possess the necessary technical skills and institutional capacity therefore becomes a national development imperative. To this effect, for over a decade now the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) continues to play a critical role in supporting municipalities by strengthening technical capacity while simultaneously investing in the development of young South Africans.
Through its targeted skills development programmes, MISA contributes to building a pipeline of resilient and future-ready workforce that enhances municipal service delivery and supports sustainable development. A key pillar of this effort is the MISA Apprenticeship Programme, which seeks to address the persistent shortage of scarce and critical artisan skills across the country.
The programme provides unemployed youth with the opportunity to pursue Red Seal trade test qualifications in essential fields such as electrical work, plumbing, bricklaying, and diesel and motor mechanics. These trades are fundamental to maintaining and expanding municipal infrastructure systems that communities depend on daily.
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By equipping young people with these practical and technical competencies, the programme simultaneously tackles two pressing national challenges: youth unemployment and the shortage of skilled artisans within the public sector. Importantly, municipalities participating in the programme benefit from access to a growing pool of competent, work-ready artisans capable of supporting infrastructure delivery and maintenance.
The impact of the programme continues to grow. During the 2024/25 financial year, thirty apprentices successfully completed their trade testing. This brings the total number of apprentices trained through MISA since the year 2014 to 1732. These achievements demonstrate the sustained commitment of government to building the technical expertise required to strengthen local government institutions and improve service delivery outcomes.
This work is closely aligned with the vision articulated in the National Development Plan 2030, which emphasises the importance of producing 30,000 qualified artisans annually to support infrastructure development, economic growth, and employment creation. Skilled artisans are central to the country's ability to build, maintain, and modernise infrastructure systems that underpin inclusive development.
Equally important is the alignment of MISA's initiatives with the District Development Model (DDM). By ensuring that skills development programmes are linked to the specific needs of local economies, the approach promotes place-based development and strengthens the relationship between training, employment opportunities, and municipal service delivery. In doing so, it contributes to reducing the pressures of rural-to-urban migration by enabling young people to build sustainable livelihoods within their own communities.
Beyond the Apprenticeship Programme, MISA has implemented additional capacity-building initiatives aimed at strengthening the technical capabilities of municipalities.
The Experiential Learnership Programme provides Engineering and Built Environment students and recent graduates with practical workplace experience within host municipalities, enabling them to apply their academic training in real-world environments.
The Young Graduates Programme is a three-to-four-year programme aimed towards professional registration as professional Technicians, Technologists and Pr. Engineers in terms of approved regulatory and professional Bodies frameworks including Act 36 of 2002 and Engineering Professions Act No 46 of 2000 and the South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN) is the statutory council responsible for regulating the planning profession in terms of the Planning Profession Act, 36 of 2002 (PPA) (herein referred to as the Act) and other related legislation.
Whilst the programme is not exclusively limited to individuals from previously disadvantaged communities, MISA gives preference to the historically disadvantaged individuals to participate in the work-based internship development programme.
Young Graduates are from various Universities and University of Technologies through a structured work plan to expand their work experience and achieve professional registration as professional technicians with the relevant statutory professional registration body.
Since its inception in 2013/14 financial year, MISA has already enrolled more than 860 (eight hundred and sixty)Young Graduates in the programme.
The programme is predominantly on Civil Engineering, Town and Regional Planning and Electrical Engineering Young Graduates. Since 2015 to date, MISA has professionalised 54 Young Graduates, with Town and Regional Planning leading the list. The majority of the professionalised Young Graduates are currently working permanently in different municipalities across South Africa and in the private companies being absorbed when they were placed with host companies in the form of a Third-party placement to receive practical experience.
A total of 51 young graduates who are professionally registered were absorbed permanently in municipalities across South Africa. Four are permanently employed by MISA in different provinces. The rest are working in private companies; some have established own businesses in different provinces, and they are contributing positively to job creation and service delivery in the country.
As at 1 April 2026, MISA is currently hosting 158 young graduates, who are placed in different municipalities in the provinces. MISA professional teams and municipalities are responsible for supervision and mentoring of the young graduates. In implementing the Young Graduate programme, MISA relies heavily on the support by the sector partners like Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN), Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) and Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA) since the inception of the programme.
These programmes, collectively form part of a broader strategy to create a sustainable pipeline of technical expertise for local government. By investing in the development of young artisans, engineers, town planners, technical professionals and other disciplines that are in demand, government is strengthening the institutional foundations necessary to support infrastructure delivery and long-term economic growth. These initiatives are also in line with the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) priorities of driving inclusive economic growth and job creation; reducing poverty and building a capable, ethical and developmental state.
As South Africa commemorates the 50th anniversary of the youth uprising, it is important to recognise the vital role of technical and built environment skills play in building and maintaining the infrastructure that sustains communities. This is in line with the commemoration focus, to bridge the historic struggle for youth empowerment through equal education, inclusive economic participation and skills development. These skills are the backbone of infrastructure development. The skills not only demonstrate technical knowledge but also ensure that infrastructure systems remain functional, reliable, and capable of supporting economic activity.
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For MISA, the celebration of Youth Month is also a reminder of the responsibility to continue investing in the next generation of skilled workers. Through sustained collaboration with municipalities, training institutions, and other partners, the agency remains committed to empowering young people with the skills required to participate meaningfully in the economy.
Strengthening municipal infrastructure ultimately requires more than financial investment; it demands the deliberate development of human capability. By nurturing artisan as well as engineering skills and building technical capacity within municipalities, South Africa is laying the groundwork for resilient institutions capable of meeting the needs of communities today and into the future.
MISA is a Schedule 3 government component of the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) established in terms of Section 7(5) of the Public Service Act of 1994 (as amended), with the mandate to provide technical support and build technical capacity for municipalities to enhance their capability to undertake efficient planning, delivery, operations and management of municipal infrastructure.
For more information on the various programmes of MISA visit: https://www.misa.gov.za.
