Ndola Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called on government to upscale investment in skills training so as to equip youths with various lifesaving skills.
Speaking during an interview with ZANIS in Ndola, Muwani Simwichi a member of the chamber, noted with great concern over the number of young people that are engaged in excessive alcohol consumption in Northern and Muchinga provinces.
Ms Simwichi said as government is busy engaging private sector in different ways, aimed at wooing investors, it is also important that skilled labour force is made available for sustainable productivity.
“I have been to many parts of Northern province and my main concern is that majority of youths engage in alcohol and that’s the only thing they think of” she said.
Ms Simwichi said government should introduce a lot of training programmes for the youths and by so doing, investors will be assured of the availability of a reliable workforce that can contribute to the growth of their businesses.
And Chamber President Ashu Sagar said creating employment that is not fed by skilled labour is defeating the purpose of investment attraction which government has embarked on.
Mr Sagar said government should work tirelessly to create artisan skills for young people.
He said that this coupled with investment Expos will without doubt allow the country to attain its middle income status by the 2030.
Mr Sugar said the lack of artisan skills in some parts of the country is something that has given investors a second thought whether to invest in such areas or not.
The Ndola Chamber of Commerce and Industry President stressed that there is a shortage of artisan skills in the country and has since implored government to create skills centers in each province.
There are so many “Universities” that have mushroomed awarding u.seless degrees, instead of building Trades Institutes for skills development.
UPND ia a useress party awarding useress TRIBLISTS useress news.
They are busy setting up hopeless Universities because Zambians now have a misconceived view that to be successful you have to obtain a university education. This is a fallacy of composition.
We told you, spend $150 million on skills retraining and project management….
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HAZALUZA HAGAIN.
It’s also lack industries that can use artisans that has contributed. If we don’t have the necessary competing industries how do you expect people to want to become artisans? Right now University education and white career jobs seem to be the best option because of the commercial value that has been attached to degrees. The moment we have thriving industries then we will have artisans.
Some of this skill centres produce half baked artisans. Even in construction, building, plumbing, mechanics etc etc you find those old timers who did their training in the old days have better skills and finishing than those that just come out now.
The real “barrier to national development” is the shortage of Presidential material at state house.