VTCs, incubation hubs solutions to youth unemployment
LAST year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa commissioned a double storey girls hostel at Zvishavane Vocational Training Centre built by Mimosa Mining Company. The President applauded Mimosa Company for providing a hand in the educational system of the country.
He encouraged the private sector to go beyond the provision of infrastructure to educational institutions like Vocational Training Centres (VTCs). Well, he made it clear that education from institutions like VTCs is indeed essential for the modernisation and industrialisation of a developing country like Zimbabwe.
“In line with our Education 5.0 and the national skills requirements, I call on the private sector to go beyond the provision of infrastructure. They must play an active part in the design and delivery of appropriate education curricula and skills within our education institutions. Such collaboration will result in quality public training programmes while developing more demand-driven training and improving our entrepreneurship base, thus ultimately accelerating our modernisation and industrialisation” he said.
The majority of Zimbabweans might want to know more about these VTCs. It is true, they would want to know how they operate, enrol and all in all help in the development of the country among other issues.
Vocational training refers to instructional programs or courses that focus on the skills required for a particular job function or trade. Vocational training can be accomplished through many channels and at varying points in someone’s career. This can be post-secondary vocational school, apprenticeship programs, on-the-job training, continuous development as well as distance learning programs. In Zimbabwe we mainly use the post-secondary vocational approach.
To enrol and start an Enterprise program at a Vocational Training Centre, one should just be able to read and write. However, some courses offered at some of the VTCs are affiliated to the HEXCO Examinations Board hence they require one to have five O Levels inclusive of Mathematics, English and Science. Those training under the Training for Enterprise programme are awarded National Foundation Certificates, Certificate of Competency and National Certificates depending on the duration of training.
Trade tests are also done for those that wish to be trade tested from class 4 to 1.
Intakes at VTCs vary from centre to centre but there are 3 main intakes namely: January for Certificate programmes, May for Certificate and Diploma in Agriculture specialising in Tobacco production and lastly but not least, September for Diploma programmes.
Courses on offer on these VTCs include brick and block laying, metal fabrication, motor vehicle mechanics, automobile electrics and electronics, carpentry and joinery, clothing and textile, cosmetology, tourism and hospitality, business studies, agriculture and electrical engineering.
Training at VTCs is needs driven and lasts from six months for competency certificate level and up to three years for diploma level.
In offering their courses and programs, the VTCs are now venturing into productive partnerships with the private sectors.
Their partners include, the British American Tobacco Zimbabwe (BATZ), Plan International, Silveira House, Mimosa, Boltrec to mention a few.
The VTCs are mainly making use of two training methodologies. There is what they refer to as institutionalised training. This is whereby training is carried out at the institution of training. The other training method being the skills outreach programme or community outreach approach. This whereby the VTCs take training to their client’s door step.
Vocational training centres in Zimbabwe are informed by the existing resource endowments within their locality in the selection of courses to offer. Every province in the country has a VTC.
The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation through its Department of Vocational Training and Skills Development is working flat out in making sure every district has its own VTC. The work is going on well and some districts now have VTCs that are operating pretty well.
To parents and guardians, this is the right time to help our children who might have failed to make it at ordinary level education but are capable to read and write. Let them enrol at the VTCs and acquire life skills training.
It is true, VTCs help in the eradication of poverty and unemployment mainly among the youth. VTCs are essential institutions ready to assist in the fulfilment of Vision 2030 that seeks to create an upper middle-class society.
Also, to note is that even those from higher institutions of learning like universities and polytechnics are free to come and enrol at the VTCs. Yes, they are indeed free to come and acquire life skills that are proving to be of great significance in the new world we are into today.
The Government through the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation is also establishing some incubation hubs at some vocational training centres and as a way to curb unemployment among the youth.
The National Business Incubators Association (NBIA), has it that business incubation centres catalyses the process of starting and growing companies, providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful.
The incubation process thus help to diversify economies, commercialise technologies, create jobs as well as build wealth of any nation in this world.
With the current situation in the country where some young people are finding difficulties in securing employment, the move by the Government to establish some incubation hubs is indeed a great move at the right time.
The smallholder dairy production hub at Umguza and Kaguvi VTCs, the cosmetology hub in Bulawayo, the Boer goat breeding and fattening hub at Phangani VTC as well as the fruit and vegetable processing hub at Tabudirira VTC in Mutoko are all efforts by the Government to curb youth unemployment.
This week, President Mnangagwa will officially open the Fruit and vegetable processing hub stationed at Tabudirira VTC in Mutoko. Just like all the above incubation hubs, the fruit and vegetable hub seeks to create employment opportunities for youths along the agro-processing value chain.
It seeks to facilitate the creation of markets and market linkage for fruits and vegetables produced by young farmers in Mashonaland East. The hub shall increase income levels for young farmers in Mutoko District and Mashonaland East at large. The creation of the hub will definitely reduce post-harvest losses in the horticulture sub sector.
It is true, with all these efforts from the government, the dream to have an upper middle-income society by 2030 can be achieved without doubt.
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