Windhoek
Since its launch in April 2014, the Vocational Education and Training (VET) levy has grown to become a viable programme that has significantly boosted the financing of the country’s technical and vocational training needs.
Over 2 400 employers are currently registered for the VET levy, compared to 1 713 that registered as VET levy-paying employers at its launch in April 2014. This was announced by Namibia Training Authority (NTA) chairperson Patrick Swartz at Tuesday’s ceremony, where NTA signed priority training and funding interventions service level agreements.
The NTA has to date committed N$80 million to interventions under the VET levy’s key priority training grant funding programme, from which about 1 580 trainees benefit directly. Following the signing of the service level agreements with training institutions, Swartz said the investment is expected to increase by a further N$ 36 million.
Swartz noted that the NTA is indeed taking up the mantle to meet the country’s skills. “Through its resolve and commitment, our country now has a more stable and sustainable funding regime under which to accelerate the provision of equitable, quality and accessible technical, vocational education, and training,” he said. “We need to do more to support the development of local skills as a tool for individual empowerment and national economic development. We need to create more opportunities,” Swartz maintained.
About ten service level agreements were entered into with local training institutions. The agreements fall into two broad categories and are to be implemented under the VET Levy’s key priority training grant funding window.
Namibia Training Authority (NTA) chief executive officer Jerry Beukes said the first category involves approved intervention areas for funding, as part of demand-led training interventions with seven local training institutions, totaling N$27,8 million.
Altogether 901 trainees in various sectors, such as mining, construction, hospitality, wholesale and retail trades, health, telecommunications, business and finance stand to benefit from these interventions.
The trainees are studying at DAPP Vocational, Phillipi Trust Namibia and Namibian College of Open Learning Centre Wolwedans Academy, Business School of Excellence, Triumphant College and Tulipohamba Training Academy.
The second category involves approved areas for funding as part of support and capacity-building interventions. DAPP Vocational Centre, Community Skills Development Foundation, Cosdef and the Federation of the Visually Impaired, received N$8,6 million for this purpose. This represents a total investment of over N$36 million.
Beukes said the services of the beneficiary training institutions were solicited through an open and transparent procurement process through which accredited training providers were invited in October 2015 to submit proposals for training in occupations in high demand, as listed in the NTA’s National Skills Development Plan for the Vocational Education and Training Sector.
“These proposals were evaluated against strict technical criteria aimed at ensuring that trainees benefit from high-quality training services. Allow me, therefore, an opportunity to call on all our training institution partners to ensure that they use the funds for the intended purpose and to ensure the successful implementation of our agreements. The training of people is your core business. You have decided to enter into this business, because you believe in the empowerment of people through skills and knowledge,” he noted.