The Skills Development Summit took place on 6-7 March 2018, at Gallagher Convention centre, Johannesburg. The Automotive Development Centre (AIDC) represented by the Skills Development and Training Department attended the summit, and were nominated in four categories namely; best innovative training programme, best graduate trainee programme, best public sector training programme and best training provider. Of these nominations, the AIDC took three home.

The Skills Development Summit is a platform for people who are in skills development to showcase what they are doing in their respective companies. Skills that are looked at are skills that cut across the automotive and engineering industry.

Competitors had to give and description of their programme and its impact on beneficiaries.

For the best innovative training programme nomination, the AIDC used the incubation programmes to showcase innovation.   The Incubation Programme is an innovation for the AIDC because they are the first to starts a programme of this nature in South Africa. The programme has also created numerous jobs.

The best public sector training programme, and the best graduate programme nomination followed and the Gauteng Learning Centre (GALC) was used to expose how the AIDC flourishes in accredited programmes such as mechatronics. At GALC learners  are trained with knowledge and skills that enable them to be later absorbed in the industry. The AIDC through its programmes has also produced graduates that will contribute to an automotive sector that will be globally competitive.

In 2018, the AIDC won the most awards since its first participation at the Skills Development Summit, over eight years ago.

The AIDC arrest that this year was different as it had undisputed evidence of its programmes. All the programmes it  entered for nominations were fully operational and could be verified.

These events are an opportunity to network and explore other businesses. For the AIDC this recognition means a new challenge to expand out of its mandate in Gauteng.