Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza-Bulawayo Bureau
SKILLED Zimbabweans who returned home, mainly from South Africa, fleeing violence and intimidation fuelled by vigilante xenophobic groups are eligible to apply for jobs in the Public Service Commission and work for Government, an official has said.
This comes as Government has set up a databank of 15 000 registered skilled people who have returned home as the country implements the Global Skills Partnership Programme, which seeks to facilitate the safe migration of skilled citizens to countries experiencing skills shortages.
Cabinet approved the Global Skills Partnership Programme last year.
The recent disturbances in South Africa have forced thousands of skilled Zimbabweans to return home.
The skilled returnees are also critical in helping the country achieve targets under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which is guiding the nation’s transformation into an upper-middle-income society by 2030, PSC Commissioner Rosemary Mukoko told Zimpapers on the sidelines of a public lecture at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) yesterday.
The public lecture was titled: “From mindset to market, cultivating the innovator-entrepreneur for Zimbabwe’s digital future” and focused on the role of innovation, entrepreneurship and education in preparing Zimbabwe for an increasingly digital economy.
“There is a will to ensure that skilled Zimbabweans who are coming from South Africa in particular, where they fled anti-migrant violence, are incorporated into the economy because some of them have skills that the Government needs.
“Some of them can bring innovations that the country needs, and we are saying they can apply for jobs in the Public Service Commission,” said Comm Mukoko.
“I’m sure that the issue of funding to assist the returnees in various projects that they may also want to venture in is under consideration by Government.”
The repatriation of 100 000 Zimbabweans from South Africa has resulted in the return of thousands of skilled Zimbabweans who are expected to help drive socio-economic transformation.
The Global Skills Partnership Programme that was approved by Cabinet last year is being implemented through a Whole-of-Government approach involving five Ministries: Skills Audit and Development; Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development; Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Foreign Affairs and International Trade; and Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage.
The databank of 15 000 registered skilled returnees includes artisans, welders, bricklayers and technicians, among other professions, in addition to skilled workers in the agricultural sector. Zimbabwe has already been exporting skilled labour to countries within SADC and beyond.
The Government has deployed hundreds of teachers to Rwanda under a bilateral arrangement, while health professionals have also secured opportunities abroad.
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development verifies qualifications, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade identifies and negotiates agreements with countries facing skills shortages.
The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare is responsible for ensuring that labour laws in destination countries adequately protect the rights of Zimbabwean workers.
