Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary Maambo Haamaundu said the first cohort of youths, who began training in September last year, will complete the programme next month.a
The trainees are currently undergoing training at ZNS Chiwoko Training School in Eastern Province, Kitwe Training School on the Copperbelt and Chishimba Training School in Northern Province.
Speaking during the Breakfast Show on Radio Phoenix, Haamaundu said the Voluntary National Service Training programme is a presidential directive being implemented by the Ministry of Defence.
He revealed that during the first intake, ZNS recruited 1,138 youths, exceeding the initial target of 1,092 participants drawn from all the country’s 156 constituencies.
Haamaundu added that the second cohort will maintain a similar intake because the three training centres have limited capacity to accommodate additional trainees.
Government, he said, wants to ensure that youths who undergo the programme are equipped with skills that will enable them to create jobs for themselves and others.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence Principal Public Relations Officer Paul Shalala, Haamaundu said government has several empowerment programmes that trained youths can utilise to start businesses.
“With the skills they get from the training, together with basic military discipline and culture, they will become good employees not only for government but also for the private sector,” he said.
Haamaundu further noted that graduates of the ZNS Voluntary National Service Training programme will have an added advantage when applying for jobs in the defence and security wings because they will already possess relevant training and discipline.
I will really appreciate if given an opportunity
Oppurtunity for what ??
Certainly not discipline
look at the police force
It’s not a good idea to give military training to youths and leave them unemployed, roaming the streets. In the past this sort thing led to the breeding of dangerous criminals like Never Spoiler Kapenda. If you are going to train the youth, make sure you employ them.
How i wish every year was an election year. In 2021 there was a propaganda slogan of he will fix it, which has amounted to zero. There is now salt sana trying to work on the minds of the poor students. Election year is powerful, it even ended loadshedding
Just praying for the opportunity
I wonder whose son/daughter of a prominent person will be squeezed in the program to get discipline that the parent has failed to impart and once they pass out they will not draw a salary … wonders never cease
That man in the picture looks so impressive! I hope he won’t be neglected by a corrupt system