Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation deputy executive director Raimo Naanda has said Namibia’s vocational training facilities are in a good position to train skilled personnel to take charge of the country’s emerging economic sectors like oil and gas, as well as green hydrogen.
He said institutions like the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre are expected to play a critical role by training technicians, operators, maintenance personnel and skilled artisans to be absorbed by these emerging economic sectors.
Speaking as a guest speaker at the WVTC graduation in Windhoek on Friday, Naanda underlined that the discovery of oil and gas, as well as the development of green hydrogen, will require skilled workers.
Major oil firms Shell and TotalEnergies reportedly discovered over 11 billion barrels of light oil and up to 8.7 trillion cubic feet of gas off the coast of Namibia in the Orange Basin over the past 18 months.
“These new developments and investments in green hydrogen and oil and gas discoveries will demand more skills, in particular, technical skills at the artisan level. It is against this background that, as a country, we are busy repositioning our TVET system to respond to these new emerging technologies and the new skill demands of these economic sectors,” Naanda said.
He further said these new developments present an excellent opportunity for WVTC to reposition itself as a centre of excellence and move into that space.
“WVTC should grab the opportunity to develop programmes that are set to play a critical role in the practical implementation and operation of the renewable-driven hydrogen and PtX systems,” he added.
Naanda, a TVET expert, added that the developments will also require the development of industry-driven curricula and training programmes.
He commended the WVTC for introducing new programmes for this academic year, including solar equipment installation and maintenance from levels 1 to 3.
The centre has also introduced automotive mechatronics engineering. It replaces auto mechanic, which was discontinued as a qualification due to changing technologies in the respective occupational area.
“There is no doubt in my mind that these courses will respond to the emerging skill demands,” Naanda said. – Nampa