Africa-Press – Botswana. Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is an assured tool for reshaping Botswana’s future and accelerating its economy as it provides trainees with upskilling and reskilling opportunities thereby enabling them to effectively participate in the country’s socio-economic development.
Education and skills development minister, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe said this at the Botswana-Germany 2023 technical vocational education symposium in Gaborone Wednesday.
Calling for the embracement of TVET as a tool for employment creation, he said it ‘enables young learners to make a successful transition from education, training to workplace and entrepreneurial development. It prepares them for the labour market and ensures that the skills it develops correspond to those needed by the economy and industries’.
The minister encouraged companies not to shy away from offering learners on-the-job technical and vocational training which he said not only ensured availability of necessary skills but also contributed to the companies’ growth.
Dr Letsholathebe said vocational training programmes prepared learners for venturing into entrepreneurship as they included both ICT and entrepreneurial skills.
He said TVET allowed those in employment to continue contributing meaningfully as it provided opportunities for keeping up with ever-changing technology.
Minister Letsholathebe disclosed that his ministry was collaborating with Germany to ensure adoption of industry specific skills for Botswana.
Through engagement of the German counterparts and other ministries, government continued to create opportunities for graduates for better absorption into industry, he said.
For his part, head of iMove at Germany’s Federal Institute of Vocational Training, Dr Andreas Verner said Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, had benefitted greatly by enlisting young people into apprenticeships.
He therefore implored the SME sector to provide apprenticeship opportunities for learners.
Dr Verner said it was commendable that Botswana planned to provide industry-focused skills at 36 TVET institutions across the country.
TVET institutions equipped learners with relevant skills and knowledge that would enable them to effectively participate in social, economic and technical innovation in Botswana, he said.
The symposium was held under the theme: Advancing TVET for Youth Employability through Stakeholder Engagement.
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