Artisan Training Institute

What Artisan Training Institute does

Artisan Training Institute (ATI) is a private South African technical training provider established in 1982 and rebranded under its current name in October 2012. The institute delivers accredited engineering trade qualifications and short courses across disciplines including automotive motor mechanics, boilermaking, diesel mechanics, electrical work, fitting and turning, millwright, plating, welding, instrumentation, and rigging. ATI operates five physical campuses in South Africa (Roodepoort, Kimberley, Kuruman, KwaZulu Natal, and Gauteng) with on-site accommodation at selected locations, training approximately 1,200–2,000+ apprentices per annum and graduating more than 5,174 learners cumulatively through donor-funded programmes at a 90% employment placement rate.

The institute generates revenue through three primary professional services streams: (1) modular weekly-billed artisan training fees with a 50% deposit requirement for new customers and 30-day payment terms; (2) bespoke corporate training programmes and learnerships for blue-chip enterprises in mining, manufacturing, and construction (named clients include BME, Eskom, Sasol, Transnet, Grinaker-LTA, and SACEEC member organisations); and (3) accredited Section 26D trade testing and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessments at the Roodepoort campus. The go-to-market combines enterprise field sales with direct-to-consumer enrolment, supplemented by study loan partnerships with Capitec and Nedbank. Supporting sub-brands ATI Advisory Solutions and Artisan Training Foundation extend the offering into skills-development strategy and youth empowerment respectively.

ATI holds Skills Development Provider and Trade Test Centre accreditation from the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) on NAMB recommendation, ISO 9001 certification, B-BBEE Level 2 status with 125% procurement recognition, and is a United Nations University recognised Regional Centre of Expertise. Strategic partnerships with the MasterCard Foundation, SACEEC, Tiso Foundation, Harambee, National Tooling Initiative, BME, and the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative anchor ATI within a broader South African skills-development ecosystem focused on addressing the national shortage of qualified artisans.

Name

Artisan Training Institute

Legal name

Artisan Training Institute

Website

https://artisantraining.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Artisan Training Institute (ATI) is a private South African technical training provider, founded in 1982 and rebranded in 2012, delivering accredited engineering trade qualifications and short courses across five campuses for blue-chip mining, manufacturing and construction clients, individual learners, and donor-funded youth employment programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Engineering Training

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Manufacturing (EDABALAP)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automotive (EDABALAB), Powertrain, Drivetrain & Transmission Specialist Training (EDAOAEAJ), Sheet Metal Fabrication & Light-Gauge Metalwork Training (EDAOADAD), Industrial Electrical & Motor Controls (EDAOAHAE), Electronics Technician Training (Analog/Digital) (EDAOABAG), Mining & Metals (EDABALAT)

Keywords

• Engineering trade qualifications
• Artisan apprenticeship training
• Vocational technical education
• Trade test services
• Recognition prior learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Artisan Training Fees: Modular-based training charged on a weekly basis. Invoice issued at end of training month with payment due 30 days after invoice date. 50% deposit required for new customers.
2. Corporate Training Programmes: Training programmes for corporate clients including BME, SACEEC member organisations, and other blue-chip companies. Donorfunded programmes for unemployed youth.
3. Trade Testing Services: Trade test services offered at Roodepoort campus for individuals who have completed apprenticeship or RPL process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Artisan Training Institute delivers accredited, campus-based technical skills training and apprenticeship programmes in engineering trades such as Automotive Motor Mechanic, Boilermaker, Diesel Mechanic and Electrician, alongside modular short courses, QCTO-accredited Trade Test Services and Recognition of Prior Learning assessments. Its services are priced weekly, run in structured Phase I/II/III blocks, and are supplied both to blue-chip corporate clients and individual learners across five South African campuses.

Product overview

Artisan Training Institute (ATI) is a technical skills training organisation offering a portfolio of accredited trade qualifications and short courses. The core offering consists of Engineering Trade Qualifications (Automotive Motor Mechanic, Boilermaker, Diesel Mechanic, Electrician) delivered through structured apprenticeship programmes, complemented by Short Courses spanning mechanical, automotive, electrical/instrumentation, boilermaking/welding, electronics, and rigging disciplines. Supporting services include ATI Advisory Solutions for strategic skills development, the Artisan Training Foundation for youth empowerment, Study Loans in partnership with Capitec and Nedbank, and accredited Trade Test Services. ATI operates multiple campuses across South Africa (Roodepoort, Kimberley, Kuruman, KwaZulu Natal) and trains approximately 2,000 apprentices per annum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ATI Advisory Solutions: Advisory services division offering technical training solutions
• Artisan Training Foundation (ATF)

Products and services

• Engineering Trade Qualifications Accredited engineering trade qualifications (Automotive Motor Mechanic, Boilermaker, Diesel Mechanic, Electrician, among others) delivered through structured multi-phase apprenticeship programmes (Phase I 12 weeks, Phase II 12 weeks, Phase III 8 weeks) at ATI campuses, aimed at learners and corporate-sponsored employees pursuing artisan trades.
• Short Skills Courses Modular short skills courses spanning mechanical, automotive, electrical/instrumentation, boilermaking/welding, electronics and rigging disciplines, marketed for continuous professional development of existing artisans and corporate teams. Pricing is provided on request via the ATI marketing department.
• Trade Test Services Accredited Trade Test Services, including Section 26D Trade Tests, delivered at the Roodepoort campus for apprentices who have completed structured programmes and for RPL candidates seeking formal artisan qualification.
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Recognition of Prior Learning service delivering Portfolio of Evidence assessment and gap analysis for experienced workers seeking formal artisan qualification without repeating full apprenticeship training.
• ATI Advisory Solutions Advisory services for corporate skills development strategy and training needs assessment, covering identification of skills gaps, programme design and alignment with accreditation requirements.
• Artisan Training Foundation (ATF) Foundation programme supporting youth skills development and employment in artisan trades, including donor-funded cohorts and apprenticeship placement support for unemployed youth.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of donor-funded learners obtained employment by end of their apprenticeships
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• SACEEC (South African Capital Equipment Export Council)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2018MoU partnership to strengthen local manufacturing and skills development. SACEEC addresses member organisations' skills needs by matching with ATI's training service offering. SACEEC sends learner artisans to ATI's Roodepoort campus for skills training.
• BME (explosives manufacturer)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2018Enrolled seven employees on artisan learnership training programme at ATI. Candidates undergo RPL process to benchmark competencies before completing the programme.
• The MasterCard FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2017Partnership to bolster capacity of TVET institutions to provide quality education. During the year-long programme, ATI offers 180 training modules for ETDPs from at least eight under-resourced TVETs.
• Tiso FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for Artisan Development Programme training over 500 unemployed youth and assisting with industry apprenticeship placements.
• Harambee Youth Employment AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Harambee and National Tooling Initiative to drive pathways for job creation relating to installation, repair and maintenance (IRM).
• National Tooling InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Harambee and National Tooling Initiative to drive pathways for job creation relating to installation, repair and maintenance.
• Capitec BanksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerStudy loan partnership providing educational financing options for learners.
• NedbanksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerStudy loan partnership providing educational financing options for learners.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• City & Guilds: UK-headquartered vocational qualifications body offering trade credentials in welding, electrical and mechanical disciplines — comparable as an accreditation and curriculum benchmark that ATI's learners and corporate clients also recognise.
• Festo Didactic: Global industrial automation and mechatronics training provider with a broad curriculum covering electrical, instrumentation and industrial maintenance — overlapping with ATI's electrical, instrumentation and millwright apprenticeship offerings at a global scale.
• BMW Group South Africa (Rosslyn Plant Training): OEM-operated automotive apprenticeship programme at the Rosslyn plant that competes with ATI for premium automotive apprenticeships, addressing the same blue-chip skills-shortage problem ATI serves.
• Toyota South Africa Motors (Toyota Academy of Manufacturing): OEM-operated manufacturing skills academy in Durban offering automotive and mechatronics apprenticeships that overlap ATI's automotive and diesel portfolios and compete for the same KwaZulu-Natal corporate training spend.
• Mercedes-Benz South Africa (East London Plant Training Academy): OEM-operated automotive training facility that doubles as a competitor for automotive apprentice placements and corporate training contracts in South Africa, overlapping with ATI's Automotive Motor Mechanic and Diesel Mechanic trades.

Direct peers

• Northlink College: Large Western Cape TVET college delivering engineering, mechanical, electrical, welding and automotive artisan trade qualifications — overlapping with ATI's curriculum and serving a similar corporate and individual learner base.
• Ekurhuleni East TVET College: Gauteng-based TVET college offering engineering and artisan trade programmes, competing with ATI in the same catchment area (Roodepoort/Gauteng) for learners and corporate apprenticeship placements.
• False Bay TVET College: Major public TVET college in the Western Cape offering engineering, electrical, welding, automotive and mechanical trade programmes that directly overlap ATI's apprenticeship portfolio and compete for the same individual learners and corporate placements.

Others

• merSETA (Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services SETA): Sector Education and Training Authority that funds and accredits apprenticeships in the same manufacturing/engineering trades ATI serves — overlapping stakeholder relationship rather than a competitor, but influences ATI's enterprise customer grants.
• CETA (Construction Education and Training Authority): SETA funding apprenticeships in construction trades that overlap ATI's welding and boilermaker programmes — key intermediary funder for ATI's construction-sector enterprise clients such as Transnet and Grinaker-LTA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artisan_za
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@artisantraininginstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArtisanTrainingInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artisan-training-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/artisan_training_institute/?hl=en

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Artisan Training Institute