Netwerk24 SA could find itself short of skilled construction workers in the next decade, says PPC MD Njombo Lekula. Skills retention and transfer are two of the many problems the industry is hoping its construction masterplan will resolve. The industry is also asking for local content designation, hoping that this will help with the fight against cheap non-South African cement. South Africa could find itself short of skilled construction workers in the next decade, unless retention and skills transfer are prioritised. This according to Njombo Lekula, Southern African managing director of Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC). Lekula, who was speaking at a PPC roundtable on localisation on Wednesday, explained that South Africa’s construction industry has highly skilled people, but is losing these workers to other countries, while young people are choosing not to study construction.