Graduates challenged to become job creators

Patrick Chitumba, [email protected]
GRADUATES have been challenged to abandon the traditional mindset of seeking employment and instead become employers, innovators and industrialists capable of transforming their communities and driving Zimbabwe’s industrialisation agenda.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Simelisizwe Sibanda made the call yesterday while addressing the 35th Gweru Polytechnic Graduation and Prize Giving ceremony, where 790 students graduated.

He said technical and vocational education should produce graduates equipped not only with practical skills, but also with the entrepreneurial capacity to create businesses, jobs and products in line with Vision 2030 and the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 philosophy.

The graduation was held under the theme “Empowering Society through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)”, which Deputy Minister Sibanda said was aligned with the aspirations of Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2.

“This occasion marks one of the most significant milestones on the academic calendar of our Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions; the conferment of certificates upon our graduands who have successfully completed their training in diverse disciplines and trades,” he said.

Deputy Minister Sibanda said the graduands represented a transition from learners to skilled professionals, innovators, entrepreneurs and productive citizens expected to contribute to the country’s socio-economic development.

“Graduates, as you walk out of these gates, do not carry the mindset of an applicant. Carry the mindset of an employer, an innovator, and a revolutionary producer,” he said.

“You must industrialise our communities and drive the rural industrialisation thrust. Your certificates are not employment applications; they are mandates to create industries, launch start-ups, and architect the upper-middle-income society envisioned in Vision 2030.”

Deputy Minister Sibanda said Zimbabwe’s ability to achieve economic transformation would depend largely on the quality of its human capital and the country’s capacity to harness technology, innovation and skills to drive productive sectors.

He said the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 doctrine was central to this transformation as it encouraged institutions to move beyond teaching and towards innovation, industrialisation and the production of goods and services.

At Gweru Polytechnic, 790 students graduated, comprising 310 males and 480 females.
Of these, 351 graduates — 145 males and 206 females — were from STEM-related fields, representing 44,4 percent of the graduating class.

Deputy Minister Sibanda said the institution had also recorded notable progress in promoting women’s participation in STEM disciplines.

“Notably, Gweru Polytechnic boasts the highest ratio of women taking up STEM disciplines. These graduates are now equipped with practical competencies, technical expertise, and entrepreneurial skills to participate meaningfully in industry and commerce,” he said.

The college has also enrolled 42 students living with disabilities, comprising 15 males and 27 females.

Deputy Minister Sibanda said Government would support the students through the provision of assistive devices, while the institution’s infrastructure would be upgraded to improve accessibility.

Gweru Polytechnic has also placed 14 students on the Government’s Work-for-Fees Programme, while development partners are supporting other disadvantaged students.

The Fawezi Mastercard Scholarship is supporting 33 students, Camfed is assisting five female students and SOS Bindura is supporting one female student, bringing the total number of beneficiaries supported by the partners to 39.

The Deputy Minister also highlighted the institution’s growing international footprint, including its participation at the FILDA International Trade Fair in Luanda, Angola, from July 21 to 26.

He said the institution was pursuing memoranda of understanding with Angolan higher and tertiary institutions, with the possibility of introducing Portuguese into its programmes to facilitate deeper cooperation.

“Such partnerships foster student mobility, collaborative research, technology transfer, and intercultural exchange, ensuring our graduates remain globally competitive while locally relevant,” he said.

Deputy Minister Sibanda said Gweru Polytechnic was also making progress towards establishing a beverage manufacturing plant, which he said was in line with President Mnangagwa’s call for tertiary institutions to move “from equipping to producing” and from pilot projects to products on the market.

Once operational, he said, the plant would create supply chains while demonstrating how TVET institutions could contribute directly to industrial development.

He also commended the college for hosting the inaugural Rural Entrepreneurship Research Conference, which examined the challenges and opportunities surrounding youth employment and entrepreneurship.

Deputy Minister Sibanda said TVET education could help address the tendency among young Zimbabweans to look outside the country for employment when opportunities could be created locally.

“For too long, we have looked outward, missing the boundless potential beneath our feet.

Through TVET, we cure this blindness. Today’s graduation is not an exit visa but an enabler of nation building,” he said.

“Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo; Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo.”