Maria David
A total of 157 competitors are competing in 14 skill areas at the 3rd National Skill Competition being held at Ongwediva in the Oshana Region.
The competition officially kicked off on Monday and will conclude on Saturday, with competitors aspiring to be crowned champions.
Speaking on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Deputy Minister of Higher Education Technology and Innovation Natalia /Goagoses, said that Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) can be an excellent choice for individuals who are looking for a more direct path to a fulfilling and lucrative career.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said TVET can also be a powerful tool for supporting economic growth and development.
However, she indicated that stereotypes and stigma continue to unfairly isolate technical and vocational career options, making children believe that such careers are low-status jobs, which generally offer little prospects for career advancement and growth.
“Gender parity is another aspect of this challenge, as it is still commonplace for Namibian girl-children to be discouraged from taking up technical career paths because these are seen as exclusive for their male counterparts,” she said.
She added that these stereotypes are reinforced by a cross-cutting cultural notion that the technical sector is not for women.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said that they need to intensify their efforts to promote TVET as an education sub-sector of choice, and raise TVET’s brand profile while creating a pool of competent and skilled workforce.
Meanwhile, Namibia Training Authority deputy chairperson Esther Hoveka indicated that the winners at the national skills competition, which is underway, are using the event to prepare for WorldSkills Lyon 2024, which will take place in France in September.
Further, she said that more than 30 local and continental training institutions and industry exhibitors are participating in what promises to be a platform driven by interactivity, simulation, virtual reality, and demonstration.
In terms of the Skills Conference, more than 300 delegates are expected to deliberate on a very apt and current theme of youth development and empowerment and how best to generate opportunities to bridge the unemployment gap,” she said.
