Staff Reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE Namibian Defence Force Vocational Training Centre (NDF VTC) has graduated its first intake, with Defence Minister Frans Kapofi calling for greater use of vocational skills to strengthen the NDF, reduce unemployment and support economic and industrial development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The graduation ceremony was held at the Namibian Defence Force Training Establishment in Okahandja, Otjozondjupa Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NDF VTC opened its doors in 2020 and enrolled its first students in 2021, offering Level 3 vocational training in air-conditioning and refrigeration, bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing and pipe fitting, as well as welding and metal fabrication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officiating at the ceremony, Kapofi said vocational education was important in developing a modern defence force equipped with a diverse range of practical skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is a misplaced conception that the military is solely about guns and warfare. However, with programmes of this nature, we are challenging such narratives and proving that a complete and modern force needs to have soldiers with a diversity of skills to make it formidable,\u201d Kapofi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said vocational education could contribute to reducing unemployment, addressing critical skills shortages and boosting economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kapofi urged the NDF to make use of the newly qualified artisans within its own structures rather than outsourcing work that could be performed by trained personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou will agree with me that most countries in the Global South are now putting much emphasis on the importance of vocational education. This is because of the undisputed realisation that vocational education reduces unemployment, fills critical industry skill gaps and boosts economic growth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kapofi also pointed to Germany’s vocational education system, which combines classroom-based learning with paid workplace apprenticeships, as an example of how technical training can help create pathways from education to employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief of the Defence Force, Air Marshal Martin Kambulu Pinehas, congratulated the graduates on completing their training despite the challenges they faced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want to salute you for having endured the challenges, the pain, the difficulties, remaining steadfast, keeping your eye on the ball. And for that, we congratulate you and we thank you,\u201d Pinehas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As recognition of their achievement, Pinehas announced that all graduates would receive promotions to the next substantive rank, effective from the day of the graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He instructed the relevant NDF structures to finalise the documentation required to implement the promotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graduate Lance Corporal Lydia Nampadhi encouraged her fellow graduates to apply their newly acquired skills in service of the NDF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs we step out of these training rooms and into our respective industries, we carry more than just certificates. We carry the precision of our hands, the sharpness of our problem-solving, and the resilience we built right here,\u201d Nampadhi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe arrive as students, but we leave as professionals and artisans, ready to build, fix, create and lead,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kapofi also presented awards to the top-performing graduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Corporal Steven Nepela was recognised as the best achiever in carpentry, while Lance Corporal Lydia Nampadhi took second place for plumbing and pipe fitting. Lance Corporal Tuhafeni Haipinge was recognised for third place in welding and metal fabrication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The graduation marks the first group to complete training since the NDF VTC began enrolling students in 2021, highlighting the NDF’s efforts to expand technical and vocational skills within the defence force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PICTURED: Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Frans Kapofi. Photos: The Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Staff Reporter THE Namibian Defence Force Vocational Training Centre (NDF VTC) has graduated its first intake, with Defence Minister Frans Kapofi calling for greater use of vocational skills to strengthen the NDF, reduce unemployment and support economic and industrial development. The graduation ceremony was held at the Namibian Defence Force Training Establishment in Okahandja, Otjozondjupa …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":399292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-399291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n