Partnerships to close skills gap challenges

The Francistown College of Technical and Vocational Education and Botswana Power Corporation ( BPC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) to address concerns of skills gap by industries and employers regarding graduates from the country’s institutions of higher learning.

The MoU was signed under the theme, ‘ Bridging The Gap Between The Industry and Learning Institutions.’

Assistant Minister of

Education and Skills Development, Aubrey Lesaso said at the signing that the best way to close skills gaps is to encourage and support institutions to forge partnerships with industry.

His view is that partnership with industry can make the task of skills retraining easier and less expensive.

“Partnerships have the potential to render skills formation to be flexible so as to react to rapidly changing global knowledge economy and technological innovation,” he said.

Lesaso, who is also Member of Parliament for

Shoshong said that through the MoU the BPC will establish joint arrangements for pursuing collaborative research on areas of similar interest, the sharing of FCTCE infrastructure, laboratories and equipment by BPC including the use of BPC infrastructure by FCTVE, joint curriculum design and development, among other things.

The Assistant Minister is confident that the partnership between FCTVE and BPC will help FCTVE produce skilled and competent graduates who will contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of Botswana’s economy.

He called upon FCTVE staff to remember that the future of Botswana lies in their hands as trainers, educators and researchers.

“To the trainees here who are the first cohort of the Linesman Training, let me congratulate you for having been given this opportunity and at the same time encourage you to go and put the skills you have gained to good use,” Lesaso urged.

He said the country looks up to graduates for solutions to everyday challenges, adding that the COVID- 19 pandemic demonstrated the need for partnerships that will establish more suitable solutions to challenges.

He added that other countries, regions and continents are increasingly investing in developing ecosystems through the development of relevant policies, infrastructure rollout and human capital.

Principal of FCTVE, Asalepele Tobedza revealed that the scope of the FCTVE and BPC cover a number of areas, which will ensure that the two partners provide relevant and quality programmes to learners.

“It is our view that the sharing of resources with industry will reduce the cost of training for both the industry and the learning institutions and at the same time ensure that we provide the relevant skills and competencies to our learners,” Tobedza said.

General Manager of BPC, Letlhogonolo Bantsi said the purpose of the MoU is to enhance Government- toGovernment Institutions collaborative efforts to improve capacity and skills development among employees within the energy industry.