30 September 2022
The Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation (MHETI) in partnership with the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) have announced the inauguration of three training workshops at Gobabis Vocational Training Centre. The training workshops were constructed for three areas of specialization, namely; Automotive & Mechatronics, Welding and Metal Fabrication as well as Leather Craft and Fashion Technology.
In her message at the ceremony, Minister of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi said TVET expansion 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 Minister highlighted.
On behalf of the funding partner, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to Namibia, His Excellency Andreas Gotze, stressed that the ongoing support of the Federal Republic of Germany is aimed at positioning Namibia’s TVET sector to better support the youth in responding to expectations of the labour market and the digital economy.
“Through this support, a total of 32.8 million Namibia dollars was invested to construct the three new training workshops at Gobabis VTC. This also includes 1.2 million Namibia dollars for the construction of an ablution facility and small workshop for the Community Skills Development Centre (on the same premises) using innovative building technology known as Polycare bricks”, said Ambassador Gotze.
Additionally, an amount of 5 million Namibia dollars was spent on procuring equipment for the Automotive & Mechatronics as well as Leather Craft and Fashion Technology – whilst by agreement, the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) will equip the third workshop as a partner contribution.
This partnership forms part of bilateral agreements that expand over 32 years. BMZ has supported the TVET sector in Namibia since 2012, with GIZ as its implementing agency, under the Promotion of Vocational Education and Training (ProVET) project. ProVET supports MHETI, the NTA as well as public and private training providers in their collective endeavour to ensure that the Namibian TVET system is strengthened and increasingly geared toward the needs of the labour market.
The facilities and equipment serve as a demonstration of the NTA’s commitment to the shared national agenda of robust and industry-driven domestic job creation; it also serves as a validation of the importance our Government assigns to the establishment of a vibrant local TVET sector.
