ONGWEDIVA – Patrick Gariseb, an inmate at the Windhoek Correctional Facility, was overwhelmed by the massive support he received from the crowd at the National Skills Competition organised by the Namibia Training Authority on Saturday evening, since he is an offender.
Gariseb (48) won a silver medal in the automative technology category, a feat that also surprised him as it was his first time taking part in such a competition.
The third national skills competition ended on Saturday night at Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre. WorldSkills Namibia is the national hub for promoting vocational education and training in Namibia.
Gariseb told New Era he enrolled in mechanical engineering in 2020 while serving a 10-year imprisonment term.
“Being in prison for such a long can be very depressing, and to avoid thinking too much, I enrolled with a certain institution of higher learning,” he said.
Gariseb added that he did not know the opportunity of enrolling would take him this far - from fixing most of the government cars to taking part in national skills competition.
Gariseb, who has been in prison for six years, is due to be released next month.
“I am pleased to announce that my stay in prison came with a bonus of being an auto mechanic engineer and will also be obtaining a degree in logistics and transport management next month with NUST,” he said proudly.
Another inmate, Elifas Tobias who also took part in the competition, said he was sentenced to 44 years’ imprisonment in 2002 and he has now served his 21 years of his sentence.
Tobias said he joined the TVET programme in 2020 and took a course in plumbing. What pushed him to join TVET is that he wants to go home and into society as a changed man.
“I want to go back home with a career that will create me any job of my choice so that I can help my family including my son that I left as a boy of seven years; now he is 28,” he said.
Tobias said he was arrested at a very young age and he did not have any hope that one day he would pursue a career because by the time he would be released from prison, he would be very old.
“I discovered a talent of plumbing within me and decided to enrol myself with TVET and today I am here representing all the NCS in the country at a prestigious event like this one,” he said.
He also expressed delight that he would be leaving the correctional facility with careers as a pastor, plumber and degree holder in theology.
They were part of a group of four inmates from the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) who took part the competition.
Head of Correctional Industries responsible for Workshop Production at the NCS said skill development has been an integral part of the correctional service. He said many inmates have been able to start businesses after their release as a result of the training.
Meanwhile, the mechatronics team of Wilbard Mbenzi and Dry-Genise Higoam representing Minds in Action programme won the overall best competitors award for an overall score of 834 points.
The event saw 158 participants from all over the country taking part in 14 trades over six days.
At the national skills closing ceremony deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said as the minister of international relations and cooperation, she will be happy to see Namibia shining in France next year.
“We need the skills in Namibia, and you are taking this challenge at the right time. Be assured that your government is behind you,” added Nandi-Ndaitwah.
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