Staff Reporter
Windhoek
The Pupkewitz Motors Division and Namibia Training Authority (NTA) signed an Apprenticeship Memorandum of Agreement last week. The agreement is part of the apprenticeship pilot project under the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programme in the Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) sector with the aim amongst others, to enhance access to training opportunities, address youth unemployment, improve firm-level productivity, and improve national economic competitiveness.
The Pupkewitz Motor Division was amongst 14 local companies that signed apprenticeship agreements with the NTA. “Today we embark on a pilot project under which the NTA, in partnership with leading local employers, takes the first steps towards re-introducing apprenticeship – as a key sub-component of Work-Integrated Learning – to Namibian workplaces. And by so doing, re-open an alternative, viable and relevant enrolment avenue, through which we can boost access to equitable and high quality TVET opportunities for young people wishing to embark on technical and vocational career paths,” said the chief executive officer of NTA, Jerry Beukes.
The apprenticeship programme is based on a dual vocational training system, whereby apprentices will attend classes at accredited training institutions and receive on-the-job training at the Pupkewitz Motor Division.
Eleven apprentices will be employed in the field of auto-mechanic for three years while receiving theoretical knowledge through the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre (WVTC) and three apprentices in business management through the Commercial Advancement Training Scheme (CATS) with the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST).
Each apprentice will sign a contract outlining their conditions of employment and training duration, and upon successful completion will receive a recognized qualification.
Ekkerd van Wyk, managing director of the Pupkewitz Motor Division, in his speech commented, “In line with the Pupkewitz Group’s number one Unifying Principle, which is Commitment to People Development, the Pupkewitz Motor Division has taken on various training programmes over the past three years. We have spent a total of N$2.4million on training programmes during 2015 to date and have trained over 800 individuals during the said period. And since 2013, we spent a total of N$1.7 million on the CATS trainee programme and we are proud to announce that all the individuals that have successfully completed the CATS training programme are now permanently employed by us, two of whom have been promoted to senior positions within a year of completing the programme.”
“We regard this agreement as significant for the employment and social progression of Namibians, and by partaking in the apprenticeship training Programme we all pay homage to the start of a bright new future for our nation. In support of the strategic pillar of Social Progression in the Harambee Prosperity Plan we have committed to act in favour of vocational education training.”
As one of the leading companies in Namibia, the Pupkewitz Group prides itself on the growth and development of its people, which they cultivate through various employee development programmes.