In a world that increasingly places value on interpersonal competence, it ought to be at the top of everyone’s priority list to have skills that reverberate beyond the walls of the classroom and/or lecture hall.

This is according to Bertha Tobias and Thrive Mahua, who started On the Grow, a youth professional development training programme.

“On The Grow seeks to make active efforts to allow Namibian youth to be in better control of their professional future, by empowering them with the necessary skills of public speaking, leadership, interviewing, opportunity identification as well as network building,” Tobias told Youth Corner.

They will have their first training session with 60 young Namibians, in collaboration with highly sought-after industry experts, in June this year.

“On The Grow has had 435 visits to the application site, and a subsequent 171 applications. We have selected 60 young people who demonstrate immense potential, who will be participating in our training sessions,” detailed Tobias.

Mahua said the combination of these skills such as public speaking is crucial, but are rather rare in Namibia. 

“This is not because young Namibians aren’t capable but because they haven’t had the training and the sustainable access to those networks, resources and opportunities,” she pointed out.

Mahua concluded that they are undertaking a mammoth task in ensuring the sustainability of youth development through their alumni. 

“We recognise that Namibia has tremendous potential. In speaking to that insight, our long-term vision is to contribute to a Namibia which is conducive and enabling for young people looking for professional support.”

- psiririka@nepc.com.na