‘We need artisans too’: Ndjoze-Ojo

KEETMANSHOOP, 16 JUN  – The perception that technical and vocational careers are options for academically weak learners must be changed, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo said Friday.
Ndjoze-Ojo made the remarks at the ground-breaking for the Keetmanshoop Vocational Training Centre here on Friday.
The deputy minister said with the unemployment rate among university graduates at such high levels in Namibia and neighbouring countries, it is time for this negative perception to change. “It is time to spread the word that Technical and Vocational Education Training, perhaps now more than ever, is possibly the most reliable pathway to interesting and rewarding unexplored careers… We can’t just produce degree holders, we also need artisans,” she added.
Ndjoze-Ojo further said the Keetmanshoop VTC will attract young people from the //Kharas Region and beyond for training in different, relevant trades. They will ultimately join the workforce and create employment.
“Government jobs are saturated to the maximum, so they must create jobs for themselves and others,” the deputy minister said.
The Keetmanshoop VTC is being constructed by the Namibia Training Authority, which plans to construct vocational training centres in all 14 regions.
It will be located in the Noordhoek residential area, near the University of Namibia’s Southern Campus.

NAMPA