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Lawrence Chitumba Mashonaland Central Bureau
THREE-HUNDRED-AND-TWENTY SEVEN students have graduated at Chaminuka Vocational Training Centre with diplomas and certificates in different fields.

The fields were agriculture, building, carpentry and joinery, metal fabrication, motor mechanics, tourism and hospitality, youth and community work, clothing, electrical engineering and automobile electrics.

In a speech read on his behalf at the graduation ceremony last week by Frontline Institute principal Mr Doubt Musiyiwa, Development Aid from People to People country director Mr Mathias Paradzai said the graduation theme: ‘Entrepreneurial skills training to achieve an upper middle class economy by 2030’ motivates graduates to be job creators.

“I am gratified by the theme of your graduation and prize giving ceremony,” he said.

“This theme motivates graduates to be creative and start sustainable businesses using the knowledge and skills acquired through hands on training during the course of their productive training.”

“We are no longer in the era of finding jobs, it is now the era of you being employers through entrepreneurship skills.” In this regard technical and vocational training is the pinnacle of entrepreneurship training that you gained at Chaminuka Training Centre.

“In turn, this innovative approach will play a considerable role in making Zimbabwe an upper middle-income economy by 2030 as being advanced by President Mnangagwa.”

Mr Paradzai welcomed Government’s policy to have at least one vocational training centre in each district to ensure a training and skills development platform at local level, thereby effectively building innovative capacities of communities which will in turn create more employment opportunities for the trainers and those trained.

Speaking at the same occasion, Varun Beverages (Zimbabwe) Pvt Ltd general manager (corporate affairs) Mr Fungai Murahwa said technical and vocational education and training and innovation adoption was the engine for economic growth and the key to development in any society.

He said training centres were strategically tasked to produce human capital with the relevant skills required for driving industry and commerce.