Online Reporter
Michael Tome
Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) and the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to align the country’s skills development system with industry requirements and support economic transformation.
The partnership will strengthen collaboration between Government, business, academia and skills development institutions by improving labour market intelligence and identifying sector-specific skills gaps.
Dubbed the triple helix, Government, industry and academia, the combination has been identified as the critical ingredient for creating an ecosystem that enables the creation of a vibrant local industry, which is central to local economic growth.
The MoU provides a framework for Government and business to share labour market information, identify sectoral skills gaps, influence curriculum development and strengthen public-private dialogue on skills development.
It will initially focus on manufacturing, with a sector skills survey expected to identify current and future skills requirements, gaps and mismatches, competency levels and employers’ assessment of graduate preparedness.
According to the agreement, ZNCC will mobilise businesses to participate in the survey and engage with training institutions, while industry is expected to provide evidence on the skills required to support production.
This comes as Zimbabwe seeks to strengthen human capital development in support of industrialisation, investment and economic transformation.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Skills Audit and Development, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said the Government was determined to ensure that the MoU translated into tangible economic outcomes rather than becoming another agreement that was signed and forgotten.
