The Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) has called on training institutions in the country to frequently interact with the industry to keep abreast with the needs of the employment market.
EVETA Director Cleophas Takaiza made the call when the Zambia Institute of Management (ZAMIM) and the Industrial Training Centre (ITC) signed contracts worth K350, 000 that will see the two institutions train employees of HITACHI Construction Machinery Zambia, in Forklift and Crane operations as well as Warehouse Management.
Mr Takaiza says technology is fast evolving in the industry and urged training providers to keep up the pace for their training to remain relevant to the demands of the employment market.
He noted that one way this can be achieved is by strengthening the interface between trainers and industry that forms the job market for students graduating from training institutions.
And Zambia Institute of Management Director Joseph Mutelo says upskilling HITACHI Construction employees is one way of addressing the skills gap in the country.
Mr Mutelo also echoed the need for more collaboration between industry and trainers as a way of tailoring curricular to suit the job market.
Meanwhile, HITACHI Construction and Machinery Zambia, training Coordinator (1c)Jonathan Lemisa says the training initiative will help to address the skills gap in the company in both technical and administrative departments.
The training was facilitated by TEVETA through the Skills Development Fund which will meet 50 percent of the training cost while HITACHI will pay the other half.
The Skills Development Fund derived from the Skills Development Levy which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2016 and is levied at 0.5 percent from employers whose annual payroll is above K800, 000.
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