Deputy Minister Hon. Manyanya expresses determination to strengthen skills development, curb unemployment

AS the country strives to attain middle income status by 2025, the Deputy Minister for Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training Honorable Eng. Stella Manyanya has suggested some creative ideas which government institutions and stakeholders should consider in strengthening skills for economic development and enhance employability of youth in the country.

Speaking during her visit to the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) in Dar es Salaam on February 10, 2016, Hon. Eng. Manyanya said that it was high time that youth at all levels from standard seven to university level are prepared to attain skills, which will enable them to be competitive in the labour market, thus enhancing employability and accelerating economic development of the country.

She suggested that youth graduating with professional and academic qualifications should be advised and sensitized to learn and acquire some vocational skills as essential requirements to enhance their employability.

The Deputy Minister said that it was challenging to see many university graduates remain jobless after graduating despite spending a lot of resources and time in their studies, adding that such a challenge would be mitigated through self-employment if those graduates were imparted with hands-on skills.

“I encourage university graduates to join vocational training which will enable them to acquire skills to prepare them for self- employment rather than staying at home waiting to be employed” She said.

She urged the varsity graduates to change their mindset  against low cadre jobs, adding that their degrees would be used as assets in doing those jobs in a more professional and effective manner.

Furthermore, the Deputy Minister said it was time to consider review of the system for facilitating higher learning students to allow those at the technical level also get supported with loans in order to increase production of technicians who are highly needed by the growing labour market that requires more specialized and higher levels of skills.

She also urged VETA to introduce more programmes at a technician level at its centres in order to contribute to increasing technicians, especially in the trades which have acute shortage of technicians likeconstruction, oil and gas,hospitality and agribusiness.

The Minister was optimistic that vocational skills will at a large extent curb the problem of youth unemployment due to the fact that the training enables the graduates to enter into the job market with employable hands-on skills, which provides them with options for getting employment for wages or self-employment.

Earlier, the Ag. VETA Director General Mr. Geofrey Sabuni said the authority was making various efforts to improve training provision and ensure the training reaches more people in the country hence contribute to the national socio-economic development.

The Deputy Minister visited VETA with the purpose of learning the achievements made in Vocational training provision and discuss ways to improve the situation.