EU Training Hub centres receive ICT equipment

ONGWEDIVA, 25 Apr – The Valombola, Nakayale and Eenhana vocational training centres under the European Union-funded Training Hub received Information and Communication Technology equipment at Ongwediva on Tuesday.
The EU contributed N.dollars 130 million to the initiative, which started in June 2016 and runs until 2020 an is implemented by the German Development Agency, GIZ.
The main objective of the hub initiative is to contribute to a well-educated and skilled society by increasing equitable access and completion of vocational education and training, while also contributing to the development of the three centres.
Jerry Beukes, the Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) under which the three centres fall, told those in attendance a well-educated and skilled society is needed to play an active role in Namibia’s social and economic development.
He said such a society will also respond to the skills demand that exists in the market.
“The hub is to serve as a platform for these three centres to meet, share information and engage in joint planning, professional development and resource sharing,” Beukes said.
The establishment of the training hub is also linked to the NTA’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system.
The centres can share resources and jointly engage in the planning of activities and the design and establishment of learning pathways that will enable them to become centres of excellence in the fields of auto-mechatronics, electrical engineering, ICT and civil and building services.
The German government is already engaged in supporting TVET in Namibia through the Promotion of Vocational Education and Training project in Namibia, a joint technical cooperation initiative of the NTA and the GIZ worth N.dollars 200 million.
Chairperson of the EU Training Hub Project, Erick Nenghwanya said the equipment came at the right time as Namibia is challenged by a lack of employable and skilled youth.
“The ICT equipment handed over today will improve the learning process through provision of more interactive education materials that increase learner motivation and facilitate the easy acquisition of basic skills in various subjects,” Nenghwanya said.
(NAMPA)