adminConrad Mupesa Chinhoyi Bureau
Vocational training centres (VTCs) should engage in public-private partnerships (PPPs) to improve the quality of education at their institutions, a senior Government official has said.
In a speech read on his behalf by the principal director in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Major-General Everisto Dzihwema (Retired), during a graduation ceremony at Mashayamombe Vocational Training Centre in Mhondoro last week, permanent secretary in the ministry Mr Prince Mupazviriwo said the institutions were supposed to embrace PPPs.
“Vocational training centres should therefore embrace public-private partnerships to unlock value in their training activities.
“Through such partnerships, revitalisation of agriculture and the agro-processing value chain, beneficiation and value addition, infrastructure development and other objectives can be realised,” he said.
Mr Mupazviriwo also commended British American Tobacco (BAT) Zimbabwe-Tobacco Empowerment Trust (BATZ-TET) for partnering vocational training centres in introducing programme courses aimed at improving tobacco production.
Various tobacco companies and stakeholders, including Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) and the Tobacco Research Board (TRB), are also part of the Trust.
The mandate of the BATZ-TET is to assist in developing skilled women and young adult farmers through capacity building on best agricultural techniques.
The Trust has also provided financial support for the rehabilitation of infrastructure at the institution.
However, TIMB and TRB provided experts for the construction of a rocket barn and facilities for the continued development of flue-cured tobacco, respectively.
Mr Edias Mavune, the ministry’s representative in Mashonaland West, encouraged Mashayamombe VTC’s acting principal Mr Bloodson Musatya to take heed of the call for partnerships.
“Mashayamombe’s student intake has shrunk from the usual 500 to 50 students, which has led to the dilapidation of infrastructure due to unavailability of enough funds to maintain them,” he said.
However, Mr Musatya noted that the 101 students who graduated with tobacco production courses were enrolled from around the province.
The graduation ceremony saw 204 students being conferred with certificates in various courses, with 103 successfully completing two-year Training for Enterprise (TFE) courses.
The TFE courses include hospitality and tourism, brick-laying, electrical engineering and motor mechanics, among others.
The tobacco production course was conducted in partnership with British American Tobacco, TIMB, TRB and Agritex.
BAT Zimbabwe managing director Mrs Clara Mlambo also attended the graduation ceremony.
Online Reporter