Africa-Press – Tanzania. DAR ES SALAAM Institute of Technology (DIT) Mwanza Campus has encouraged the Tanzanian youth to utilise opportunities in skin processing.
In empowering the youth to utilise those opportunities, DIT, in collaboration with its stakeholders, has introduced a new course on skin processing at its campus in the city.
Campus Director, Dr Albert Mmari said on Thursday during the second graduation ceremony (of the Campus) that, DIT had signed memorandum of understanding (MoU), popularly known as ‘scope of collaboration’, with the Kilimanjaro Leather Industry Company Limited (KLICL) for the purpose.
So far, 91 graduates from DIT have been permanently employed at KLICL.
“According to our scope of collaboration, the industry still needs not less than 5,000 skilled labourers, especially artisans. The youth should utilise these opportunities. Only two months are enough to impart skills to them and make them capable of working in a skin processing factory, performing initial operations of the processing machines,” Dr Mmari noted.
Some of the students, who took the course and graduated last year, have been able to employ themselves.
“Opportunities in skin processing are easily available considering that the supply of raw materials is guaranteed because about 45 per cent of Tanzania’s livestock population is in the Lake Zone,” said Dr Mmari.
To make graduates more competitive in the leather industry, he added, it was also agreed that KLICL would be providing opportunities to DIT students to practise what they had learnt in class.
DIT Council Acting Chairperson, Prof Maulilio Kipanyula, commented that with support from the government and other development stakeholders, DIT had done several improvements to produce best graduates.
The improvements include, offering sponsorships to the DIT members of staff to undertake further studies and about 45 staff are pursuing undergraduate and post graduate studies in different fields.
“DIT is also set to stimulate industrial development through the identification and promotion of the technology and creativity that will involve both students and their teachers. We have Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology Company Limited, commonly known as ‘Teaching Factory’ where students usually go for practical studies,” said Prof Kipanyula.
DIT’s council continued supervising various development projects to improve a learning and teaching environment and groom students who are employable and can create jobs.
When gracing the event on behalf of the Mwanza Regional Commissioner, Sengerema District Commissioner, Dr Emmanuel Kipole, noted that the government would continue supporting the development of leather in the region to boost the leather industry.
