Govt. committed to honour promise on skills training for youths

Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Susan Kawandami says government is committed to honor its campaign promises of creating a bright future for youths through skills training.
Ms Kawandami said this at the first ever graduation ceremony of National Programme for Poverty Reduction (NPPR) held at Chipata Trades Institute.
She said government attaches great importance to creating employment opportunities for the youths.
Ms Kawandami said government realizes that youths are the greatest asset and that no country can attain social economic development without the active participation of youths.
“That is why the ministry of education awarded 60 bursaries at Chipata Trades and more than 100 at Petauke Trades in technical skills training,” she said.
Ms Kawandami said government is working towards creating a pool of skilled labour in each province.
The move is in order to take advantage of the employment opportunities being created through the massive infrastructure development taking place in the province.
She disclosed that 187 youths have been trained in various skills in Lusaka, Kabwe, Choma and Mpika districts.
Ms Kawandami said government is open to initiatives that are designed to provide training programmes in line with government’s national development agenda.
She advised the grandaunts to form cooperatives in order to have easy access to various schemes that are aimed at empowering the youth to enable them set up their own businesses.
And NPPR Executive Director Antony Kasandwe said his organization intends to contribute to transforming the country’s economy by focusing on skills development in sectors with high employment creation potential.
Mr Kasandwe said it is for this reason that NPPR is promoting skills development in agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and construction sectors saying this would also enable the youths earn sustainable income to improve their livelihoods.
He noted that NPPR had established skills development programmes to be implemented in identified priority sectors.
“We have endeavored to expand access to skills training to address the inadequate supply of requisite skills to support government’s industrialization efforts particularly in identified priority sectors, “he said.
Mr Kasandwe stressed the need to increase cultivating skills training at all levels of learning in order to enhance economic growth.
He stated that NPPR is aware that the task of creating employment could not be left to government alone as the involvement of the partners was essential if issues of unemployment were to be addressed.
And Chipata Trades Institute Principal Mirriam Mwale commended NPPR for supporting the youths with skills training.
Ms Mwale said there is need for more youths to be supported in order to enable them get self employed.
She however stated that her institute is faced with the challenge of inadequate classroom space.
She has since appealed to government to help the institution expand its structures to accommodate more youths at the institute.
Ms Mwale also noted that Chipata Trades does not have adequate, machinery and equipment to enhance the training programmes.
Forty eight youths graduated in Information and Communication Technology, Power Electrical and General Agriculture Training.