Science and Technologhy Minister, Peter Daka, has appealed to mining companies and other private sector organisations on the Copperbelt to form synergies with training institutions under his ministry to ensure that students graduating from these colleges were relevant to the manpower needs of these companies.
Mr. Daka said Government has observed that most of the people that were being trained under the Technical Education Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training programme were getting obsolete skills which has proved to be irrelevant to the skills needed by most mining companies and the private sector.
Mr. Daka said this in Kitwe today during the official opening of a one-day National Stakeholders Consultative forum held at Edinburgh Hotel today under the theme “Unlocking Human Resource Potential to achieve Economic Growth.”
He said there is urgent need for the private sector to design programmes that would assist government provide adequate training in line with moving technology to ensure that the youths graduating from these colleges contribute to national development.
He also appealed to the private sector to offer employment to the graduates to ensure that they contribute to wealth creation.
And speaking earlier at the same function, Science and Technology Permanent Secretary, Buleti Nsemukila, said half of Zambia’s population were youths below the age of 15, which has a big base of people needing relevant skills training in order for them to become economically viable.
Dr. Semukila said the majority of Zambia’s population were young people who needed skills to enable them crate wealth and alleviate poverty.
He said there was need to train more people with different skills if the number of people working in the informal sector was to be reduced.
And in a paper titled Unlocking Human Resource Potential to achieve Economic Growth, Chairperson for the Private Sector Development Association, Yusf Dodia, called on training institutions in Zambia to redevelop the use of education infrastructure to ensure that more people acquired relevant skills for wealth creation.
Mr. Dodia observed that in Zambia, most training institutions were failing to use their facilities to train more people, hence the utilisation of these facilities for social functions such as church services, weddings and kitchen parties.
He said wealth creation was related to the quality of manpower a country has, hence the need for these training institutions to enroll more students and utilise the idle facilities.
ZAMIS/ENDS/LK/CMM/EB.
Don’t just train them but give them employment opportunities aswell. Infact there are a lot of skilled Zambians stranded in unedrqualified jobs abroad, why not strive to bring them back?
Don’t jut criticise. These guys are talking sense as relevant skills will make the graduands employable.
#2 what #1 said is true we have alot of qualified zambians abroad even in zed just languishing.accountant working as secretary economist afola 1,500,000 grade 12 aza fola cha get real we have alot of trained pipo both home and abroad, create the jobs and equal opportunities they will come back.
1, 2 na 3 You are all right but in different ways. But have you noticed that our educational system trains us to be employed and not to employ. One thing lacking though is the aspect of entrepreneurship. But again, even with that, as blacks we are selfish by nature. What I mean is that we’d rather go it alone than with three or four friends who could have complementary skills. Just look at sparepart sellers at t/centre. They cannot think of 5 pipo renting one new shop as a company, but would rather be forced to where they won’t have customers. In the end they cry wolf at government.
Training people and giving them jobs are two different things. First it is not true that when one is not trained he/she can’t get a job it depends on the type of the. What we call a job needs also to be well defined, a person who runs a Katemba or taxis has a job (self employed)that pays his bills and takes care of other needs! This guy may not have the formal training the above. Secondly, how many teachers, nurses,UNZA/CBU graduates does the governmnet train every year who don’t have jobs??? How many untrained people in in Zambia are the richest??? So many un answered questions!!! Training is needed but Zambia can not employ every one!!!
Zambia can only create employment if there is a national economic strategy that will improve Zambia’s competitiveness. Many Zambians are now entepreneurs, but this has to be supported by science,technolgy and innovation. Govt has to spend money on R&D just like advanced countries do.For research to make sense we need scientists. This means that our higher institutions have to become stronger in equipping students with highly advanced skills. These are the guys who will work with entpreneurs in making inventions commercial products and supply the mines instead of everyone thinking of working for the mines or goning to SA to buy goods to supply. So Govt has to improve schools and universities
We should not only look at working for the mines,not everyone can work for the mines. we should look at producing scientists and researchers that will invent and produce goods that can supply to the mines instead of always buying goods from SA to supply to the mines. SA are able to manufacture goods so can we, but we have to start from somwhere and education is the key, quality education and it begins with government investing in our instituions to have world class education
Why not just dictate the syllabus, you’re the minister for christ’s sake!!!
synergies? People lets define the term first.m while organizations can work togeher really synergy involve subsystems within an organization that work together. How about forming strategic partnership and form some trainning programs that will benefit them. Please let be wise and not just misuse terms
People you first need to address the greediness of the western world which started with slavery, colonialisation and now globalisation. The West is interested in Africa to get abundant cheap raw materials and labour. If Africa does not open up to this reality, nothing will help her in the strugle for economic empowerment.
“Science and Technologhy Minister, Peter Daka, has appealed to mining companies and other private sector organisations on the Copperbelt to form synergies with training institutions under his ministry to ensure that students graduating from these colleges were relevant to the manpower needs of these companies.” Include Universities too in your issues Mr Minister Daka for your “Government has observed that most of the people that were being trained under the Technical Education Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training programme were getting obsolete skills which has proved to be irrelevant to the skills needed by most mining companies and the private sector” since TEVET doesn’t including them
#10, your point is valid but our current politicians in GRZ don’t seem to realise or let alone understand your standpoint.
The synergies the Minister is talking about seem to have worked well in South Africa, – though with universities onboard – and we must see to it that they are somehow implemented in Zambia.
“When asked about people attributing apathy to lack of delivery of promises by politicians, Hakainde said that was why Zambia needed change…He also said governments of national unity were destructive to Africa and Zambia did not need that.”
Source: maravi . blogspot . com / 2008/ 10 / hh -condemns -army -commanders -threats . h t m l