Fortune Makoni [email protected]
YOUNG people graduating from vocational training centres have been challenged to turn their practical skills into sustainable businesses and create employment for others, as the country intensifies efforts to promote entrepreneurship and achieve Vision 2030.
The call was made by Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training Deputy Minister Kudakwashe Mupamhanga during the graduation of 237 students from five vocational training centres in
Bulawayo and Matabeleland North provinces at Lobengula Vocational Training Centre in Bulawayo yesterday.
The graduates, comprising 136 females and 101 males, came from Sizinda, Lobengula, Umguza, Tsholotsho and Jairos Jiri vocational training centres.
For some, the qualifications mark the beginning of a journey towards self-employment, while others are looking forward to turning their passions into sustainable sources of income.
Nkosizile Ncube (20), who studied building at Umguza Vocational Training Centre, said he was eager to put his newly acquired skills to use and become financially independent.
He urged other young men to embrace practical training as a way of creating opportunities for themselves.
“I would like to encourage other boys of my age to use their hands and work so that they keep themselves occupied while earning their own money,” said Ncube.
Lesedi Lungu, a cosmetology graduate from Sizinda Vocational Training Centre, said she enrolled at the institution to pursue her long-standing passion for hairdressing.
“I have always been passionate about hairdressing, but I did not have anyone to teach me when I was younger. As I grew up, I learnt about vocational training centres and decided to enrol so that I could pursue my passion,” she said.
Another graduate, Luyanda Nkinane, who studied cosmetology at Lobengula Vocational Training Centre, said she had chosen the trade because she wanted to establish her own business and create employment for others.
“I have always wanted to venture into self-employment rather than necessarily being employed by someone else. I wanted to create employment for myself and others, which is why I chose to pursue cosmetology and here I am today,” she said.
Addressing the graduates, Deputy Minister Mupamhanga said vocational training should go beyond equipping young people with qualifications and prepare them to establish businesses capable of creating lasting employment.
“On enterprise, I want each of you to think beyond doing piece jobs and to build a business that will outlast its first year,” he said.
Deputy Minister Mupamhanga urged graduates in agriculture, motor mechanics, welding, garment making, catering and carpentry to identify business opportunities within their respective trades and develop viable enterprises.
“I also urge the graduates to register their businesses, open business bank accounts and continuously reinvest their profits to ensure sustainable growth. You should approach EmpowerBank and other Government financing facilities once you have developed your business plans,” he said.
Deputy Minister Mupamhanga said digitalisation was equally important, urging young entrepreneurs to use technology to market their products, receive payments and reach customers beyond their immediate communities.
“Your phone is now your shop window, your banking and your marketing department. Vocational training is an important pathway towards achieving Vision 2030 and skills development, entrepreneurship and digitalisation should complement one another,” he said.
Deputy Minister Mupamhanga also highlighted the role of YouthConnekt in connecting young people to markets, mentors, financiers and policymakers.
YouthConnekt is a pan-African multi-dimensional initiative, which was launched in Rwanda and is being implemented across 39 member states in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to connect young Africans with peers, role models, resources, skills and economic opportunities.
Deputy Minister Mupamhanga said Zimbabwe was among the final two countries competing to host the 2027 YouthConnekt Africa Summit, with Cabinet having approved the country’s bid.
Hosting the summit would give local young entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their businesses to investors and other stakeholders from across Africa, he said.
Deputy Minister Mupamhanga commended the 136 female graduates for challenging traditional perceptions that technical and vocational training was predominantly a male domain.
He also recognised graduates from Jairos Jiri, saying their achievements demonstrated that disability should not be a barrier to acquiring skills and contributing to national development.
Deputy Minister Mupamhanga called on development partners and the private sector to support graduates through workplace attachments, first contracts and other opportunities that would ease their transition from training institutions into the world of work.
He also urged young people to guard against alcohol and drug and substance abuse, saying health and wellbeing were important components of the country’s youth empowerment agenda.
