11 October 2021
The European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development have announced a sponsorship of 500-thousand Euro to support the staging of the WorldSkills Africa Swakopmund 2022 Skills Competition, scheduled to take place at Swakopmund, Erongo, from 28 March to 1 April 2022.
In her message at the continental event’s official launch at Swakopmund on Friday, European Union Ambassador to Namibia, H.E. Sinikka Antilla said WorldSkills Africa Swakopmund 2022 was an important step in leveraging technical and vocational training as a major actor of socio-economic development.
“I believe that our support to Namibia’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training sector is contributing to the establishment of inclusive growth and job creation policies, as emphasized in various national strategies of the Namibian Government, including the Harambee Prosperity Plan 2, the National Development Plan 5 and Vision 2030”, the EU Ambassador highlighted.
Ambassador Antilla stressed that the ongoing support of the EU and her member states, in particular that of the Federal Republic of Germany, are aimed at positioning Namibia’s technical and vocational training sector stood to better support the youth in responding to expectations of the labour market and the digital economy.
“TVET helps youth to respond to new challenges by providing skills needed in the knowledge economy, the blue economy, the circular economy, the green deal, the digital economy, you name it. TVET is also about being able to create own jobs and businesses. Worldskills Africa Swakopmund 2022 represents an excellent opportunity to promote these values and technical expertise to the younger generation”, she stressed.
More than 100 competitors from 13 African countries are to compete in sixteen different technical and vocational trade areas at the event, which also includes an international conference and a careers exhibition.
WorldSkills Africa Swakopmund 2022 takes place under the auspices of WorldSkills International and the African Union. Namibia was bestowed the right by WorldSkills International to host the second edition of WorldSkills Africa, following the inaugural event staged in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2018.
