2017-04-26Staff Report 2 Tuulikki Abraham Lüderitz “I enjoy welding, which is something I want to do the whole day. I love my job and am proud to be a welder and fabricator,” attests 25-year-old Monika Kuushomwa, a female welding and metal fabrication instructor. Kuushomwa graduated from the Okakarara Vocational Centre in 2015 where she obtained her National Vocational Certificate in Welding and Metal Fabrication Level 3. Currently she is a welding and metal fabrication instructor at Benguela Cosdec at Lüderitz. She explains that she feels proud to be an artisan, as this is an achievement in her life. “I feel proud to give my experience and skill to fellow Namibians, that will lead them to become successful in life. I feel I still want to do more during my spare time, mostly weekends. I want to have my own company where I will have my workshop and create job opportunities for jobless people and my trainees, to help them with job attachments, for them to gain industrial experience,” commits Kuushomwa. Explaining why she opted for this career, she says she grew up with her father who as a welder, auto-mechanic and plumber loved working with his hands. This motivated her to explore opportunities in welding. “I love working with my hands, that’s why I chose this career,” she emphasises. Her advice to the Namibian youth is that they join blue-collar jobs, as the country needs artisans to industrialise by 2030. She further encourages the youth to believe in themselves and become who they want to be in life. They must have self-confidence and never give up. They have to use their talents to become successful people and independent for them to achieve their goals. To the youth sitting at home, Kuushomwa encourages them to stand up and try to get chances in vocational education, but with faith and courage. 2017-04-26Staff Report 2
