Graduate wants to be an employer

Freedom Mutanda

Much has been said about the Curriculum Renaissance that is currently in vogue in our beautiful country. Some critics have come out guns blazing at what they perceived to be bookish education our children were exposed to largely as a result of the Westminster educational philosophies we imbibed from our erstwhile colonisers, the British.Last Friday, Tongogara Vocational College awarded certificates to 82 graduands who trained for Carpentry and Joinery, Cosmetology, Garment Manufacturing, Metalwork and Fabrication, Brick and Block Laying and Motor Vehicle Maintenance.
Skills is the way to go against the background of ZIMASSET, the Zimbabwean economic blueprint that encourages value addition using skills such as the ones trained at Tongogara.

Tatenda Majuru (27) hogged the limelight and caused a stir amongst the graduands and visitors alike as she was the only female who graduated in the hitherto male dominated Carpentry and Joinery division.
“I am in the seventh heaven. When I came here I wanted to train as a mechanic but I changed after a colleague told me that the Carpentry profession is relatively new to a number of women,” she said with excitement written all over her face.

She said that it was a way of challenging male hegemony in previously male only professions. She felt that coming all the way from Domboshawa, it was fitting for her to come away from the institution with skills.
“As a woman, I feel proud to be associated with National Organisation for the Development of the Disadvantaged (NODED). I love challenges and being a carpenter would make me be an entrepreneur. As part of my attachment, I worked at a Graniteside firm that specialises in furniture manufacturing. The owner of the company is a graduate of NODED,’’ Tatenda said.

She has big dreams for herself. She wants to be an employer. She may be employed for some time but her long term objective is to help in employment creation.

“Initially, some of my colleagues had a condescending attitude towards me. Later, they accepted me. I want to be an employer. I am sure the Government and the financial sector will accept my applications for financial help to start a business.’’
Patience Majuru, her sister was equally delighted.

“Tate has made our family proud. She has been very determined to be a success. Our family has bought some tools for Tatenda so that she can become her own employer,” Patience proudly announced.

Away from the delight from the hundreds who thronged the main Tongogara Hall for the graduation, the guest of honour, Mr Thomas Mafara, the Middle Sabi ZETDC foreman urged those who graduated to create their own employment.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there are no better colleges but the secret is being resourceful. If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Whatever problems you encountered in your one and half year stint here are the building blocks towards your success in the future. Henry Ford, the famed inventor of the car once said, obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. You, the graduands can’t afford to take your eyes off the ball or goal as it were,’’ Mr Mafara exhorted the students much to the ululation and clapping of hands of those present.

NODED  Tongogara takes students from all over Zimbabwe.
A former student who graduated in 2000 at NODED, a Mr Mutema, who now has a construction company told the gathering that NODED had been the light in his life and he now is an employer.

“I graduated in 2000 and joined the informal sector as a brick layer but by 2002, I had my own company. Today, I employ 67 brick layers and I believe in my small way I am making sure ZIM-ASSET succeed. To all of you, I urge you to use your certificates. Go out there and execute the skills you learnt here.” Mutema urged the graduands.

What is NODED?
Today, we talk about skills training as a panacea to the perceived unemployment blues that bedevil our society.
As far back as 1980, the new dispensation led by ZANU PF has introduced Education With Production (EWP) that focused on skills training.

Nevertheless, the Government has always taken into cognisance the rights of those who may not be as smart as others or in educational parlance, those among us who may be diagnosed as slow learners-they are good but they need more time to grasp the concepts-by introducing VTCs, Vocational Training Centres, in almost in every district in Zimbabwe, tailor made for those among us who may have failed to get the required academic qualifications to be accepted at conventional technical or agriculture institutions.

Zimbabwe has played host to a number of nationals who have been dislocated from their mother country owing to civil strife or persecution hinged on religion, language or tribe. Mozambique went through a lengthy civil war that started in 1975 and ended in 1992 after the Rome Accord breathed peace into our neighbour.

The country had a lot of Mozambican refugees who stayed in refugee camps sponsored by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in various camps scattered through- out the country such as Tongogara, Nyangombe, Chambuta and Mazowe River Bridge. As tranquillity and peace had re-visited Mozambique, the United Nations repatriated the refugees back to their country.

Because of that, these camps would become white elephants.
To prevent that from happening, the government, through the Department of Social Welfare, established the National Organisation for the Development of the Disadvantaged-NODED, for short. That took place in 1995. Utilisation of the former refugee camps was the prominent reason for the formation of NODED.

Four refugee camps that harboured refugees were given specific people who would attend their institutions. For example, Tongogara training camp specialised with training youths and war veterans while Nyangombe catered for the destitute. Chambuta helped the destitute to acquire skills and Mazowe River Bridge (which has since closed), looked after old people’s training needs.

Communities around the refugee camps were affected as well in several ways and the government felt it ideal to empower those communities through skills development. To illustrate, some girls and women were made pregnant and their spouses left for Mozambique without owning up.

One can take a leaf from what happened in Vietnam after the expansionist, USA, fought there and left a number of children with the local girls.
Therefore, the government moved with speed to avert a potential catastrophe.
Some refugees stole livestock; in that scenario, skills development made a huge number of local people to be able to stand on their own.

One travels thirty kilometres from Tanganda along the Tanganda-Chiredzi road and branch off to the right; one moves for the next fifteen to twenty kilometres and one arrives at Tongogara Vocational Training College commonly known as NODED. A hive of activity greets you there as young men and women busy themselves fine tuning their skills in various professions such as Carpentry, Metalwork and Fabrication, Brick and Block Laying, Garment Making, Motor Mechanics, Agriculture and Hair dressing.

At the close of the graduation, Mr Tsvetai Masvino, the Tongogara Vocational College Administrator thanked everyone who came and urged the graduands to be good ambassadors of the college.

He called upon the people present to go back and encourage their friends and relatives to come and enrol at the college.
“Go ye, therefore, and spread the message of hope in as far as skill enhancement is concerned.

“We may have hurdles here and there such as inadequate bedding for trainees but we hope to get over those problems very soon. Our staff members are geared for a fresh intake of students.

“We urge the corporate world to come on board and partner us. Divided we fall, united we stand.
“It is worth mentioning that amid this carnival atmosphere is a yearning for a job. However, bear in mind this quote from Adlar Stevenson:
“When you leave here, don’t forget why you came here.’’