Nuusita Ashipala
Ongwediva-The Eenhana Vocational Training Centre is constructing a N$109 million dollar hostel facility to keep up with the demand of trainees flocking to the centre in pursuit of vocational skills.
The self-catering accommodation is scheduled to be completed by July next year and is expected to house 80 trainees. A ground-breaking ceremony of the facility was held at the centre at the end of last week.
The groundbreaking ceremony was preceded by the inauguration of the N$3.2 million trainee production centre by Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation Itah Kandjii-Murangi.
The production unit consists of seven workshops with office and tool-finished materials and storage rooms, amongst others.
Chief Executive Officer at Namibian Training Authority Jerry Beukes said production unit will not increase the centre’s third-stream income-generating activities, but will also enable the centre to generate greater access to meaningful trainee job attachment opportunities, where such opportunities are difficult to secure.
Beukes said the unit is already involved in various local community projects and partnerships and has generated income of more than N$1 million since 2014.
Kandjii-Murangi called on vocational training centres to also provide trainees with entrepreneurial training in order to transform the graduates from job seekers into job creators.
“By doing this we will address and prevent some of the socio-economic challenges that come with unemployment, underemployment, low income levels, as well as graduates’ low morale,” Kandjii-Murangi said.
She added that while unemployment levels continues to reach alarming proportions, Namibian institutions are challenged to be innovative and adopt new ways of increasing the employability of their graduates.
Kandjii-Murangi thus appealed to the NTA to continue creating conducive training environments to ensure the country produces highly motivated trainees, who will make their mark as entrepreneurs and job creators.
“We need to invest in the entrepreneurship development of our trainees and graduates. While employment opportunities are very few, trainees need to be equipped with the perseverance and determination of an entrepreneurial mindset,” Kandjii-Murangi said.