Online Reporter
Obey Sibanda [email protected]
GOVERNMENT has hailed the ‘‘Skills for Youth Resilience Project’’ as a powerful tool for tackling youth unemployment and promoting economic growth after 152 young people graduated from the programme in Cowdray Park, Bulawayo, on Thursday.
The graduates, drawn from Wards 6, 15 and 28, completed accredited vocational training under the project’s second mobile training programme, implemented by Young Africa Zimbabwe with support from SERVE in Solidarity and the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Cde Kudakwashe Mupamhanga, said the occasion marked more than the awarding of certificates.
“Today, we’re not just conferring certificates of completion. We’re witnessing a profound transformation in the lives and future trajectories of our youth,” he said.
Deputy Minister Mupamhanga said the programme was helping equip young Zimbabweans with practical skills needed to create jobs, start businesses and contribute meaningfully to national development. He also commended young women who had ventured into traditionally male-dominated technical fields.
“I must particularly commend the young women who have boldly entered traditionally male-dominated technical fields. Your leadership is a vital step towards achieving true gender equity in our industries,” he said.
Young Africa Zimbabwe country director Mrs Susan Madodo said the organisation has trained nearly 50 000 disadvantaged youths across Zimbabwe since 2001, with close to 300 beneficiaries graduating from the two Cowdray Park cohorts.
She said the organisation’s donor-funded mobile training model enables vocational education to reach underserved communities in all 10 provinces at no cost to participants.
“We partner with small and medium enterprises in the communities where we work so that young people can receive practical, industry-relevant training. The trainees don’t pay anything because the programmes are donor-funded,” she said.
Mrs Madodo said the ultimate goal was to help young people secure sustainable livelihoods through employment and entrepreneurship.
“We want to create a productive workforce that the Government and the private sector can depend on. This investment in young people is about giving them opportunities to build better futures for themselves and their families,” she said.
The six-month programme, which began in January this year, offered training in Motor Vehicle Mechanics, Beauty Therapy, Cutting and Designing, Solar Installation and Catering. Of the 152 graduates, 96 were young women while 56 were young men, reflecting the programme’s strong emphasis on promoting women’s participation in technical and vocational careers. For many graduates, the training has already begun changing their lives.
Beauty Therapy graduate Laura Chidoma said she had gone from being unemployed to running her own small business.
“Before joining the programme, I was just sitting at home. Now I have my own beauty kit and already have three regular clients. This certificate means independence for me and my family,” she said.
Sakhile Sibanda, who graduated in Motor Vehicle Mechanics, said the programme had given her confidence to pursue a career once considered out of reach for women.
“Mechanics has always been seen as a man’s job, but the trainers believed in us. I am now undergoing apprentice training at a local garage and hope to open my own workshop one day,” she said.
Solar Installation graduate Thandekile Ncube said the skills she acquired would enable her to help communities access alternative sources of energy.
Government said the programme was already delivering measurable results, with more than 72 percent of graduates from the first cohort now engaged in formal employment, self-employment or entrepreneurial ventures.
The project also integrates Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights education, with over 93 percent of graduates reporting improved health literacy and 98 percent expressing greater confidence in making informed life decisions.
Deputy Minister Mupamhanga commended Young Africa Zimbabwe and SERVE in Solidarity for investing in Zimbabwe’s youth and urged the private sector to support graduates through offering employment opportunities, mentorship and business partnerships to maximise the impact of the programme.
derick.khumalo