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Michael Magoronga Midlands Correspondent
Kwekwe Polytechnic College intends to play a major role in the economy through its Small and Medium Enterprise division, principal Mr Evans Musara has said.
He was speaking at the college’s 10th graduation ceremony held at the campus last week. “The purpose of this institution is to impart vocational and technopreneural skills designed to enable our citizens to create employment,” he said. “Our economy demands them to go beyond the information given putting it into practice lifelong skills and theoretical insights to set up enterprises.
“We take pride in most of the graduates who have successfully established their enterprises in their areas of specialisation. We have hair salons, catering companies, garment making factories and garages among others that have been established within and outside Kwekwe.”
Kwekwe Polytechnic established the Adult and Continuing Education Division, now Small to Medium Enterprises in the year 2000. The division, which does not require any formal entry, was re-branded Small to Medium Enterprises in 2014 and has since churned out more than 2 000 graduates.
Speaking at the same event, businesswoman Mrs Joyce Saungweme said the graduation came at a time when Government openly declared its commitment towards entrepreneurship.
“President Emmerson Mnangagwa is personally leading the nation with the clarion call that Zimbabwe is open for business,” she said. “You are privileged to be part of the era in Zimbabwe where nation now focuses on the important issues of youth entrepreneurship and innovation.”
Mrs Saungweme said successful businesses are an important cog in any country that is serious about development.
“Zimbabwe is privileged with an overflow of creative of youths an genius minds that have the capacity to bring new ideas, new developments that will ultimately lead to the modernisation of our country to level of our regional peers,” she said.
Meanwhile, 230 students were conferred with certificates in various Integrated Skills Outreach Programme (ISOP) disciplines at the graduation ceremony. Of the 230 graduates, 80 percent were female, while the remainder were male in line with the national gender parity. The students walked away with certificates after completion of the courses in motor mechanics, hair dressing, hotel and catering and events management among other courses.
Online Reporter