Panel Beater / Vehicle Painter
Panel beaters and vehicle painters who repair electric and hybrid cars have to follow extra safety steps, because the high-voltage system may need to be switched off before repairs and back on afterwards by a qualified technician. The link to the energy transition is indirect, and the motor body repair industry says South Africa has few technicians qualified to work on high-voltage systems, especially outside the big cities.
Jobs in the energy transition
Electric and hybrid car body repairer
You'd repair and repaint the bodies of electric and hybrid cars, working with a qualified technician who makes the high-voltage system safe before the repair and switches it back on afterwards.
Extra training: Body repair shops are sending staff on specialist training so they can work safely around high-voltage systems.
How to get there
The qualifications
There are two certificates, the Occupational Certificate: Panel Beater and the Occupational Certificate: Vehicle Painter (Automobile and Marine Painter), and both are at NQF Level 4, the same level as Matric.
What you need to start
For panel beating, the official minimum is an NQF Level 2 qualification with Mathematics, such as Level 2 of the National Certificate (Vocational), and for vehicle painting it's a Grade 9 pass with Mathematics and Science.
These are the official minimum requirements, and colleges can set higher ones.
Where you can study
Data verified June–July 2026 from official college publications and the DHET occupational qualifications register. Spot an error? Suggest a correction.
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