The youth in Rumphi and Mzimba districts have said vocational skills they acquired under Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education Training Authority (Teveta) programme have transformed their lives.
Under Teveta’s Formal Apprenticeship Programme, young people who dropped out of school or completed secondary school but remained unemployed undergo short courses in technical training centres or take up apprenticeship programmes for at least three months.
In Bolero in Traditional Authority (T/A) Chikulamayembe in Rumphi District, John Chapola Nkhunga is generating income through welding.
He said in an interview on Tuesday that in 2020 he enrolled for the programme under Teveta in Rumphi where he acquired skills in welding and fabrication.
“I opened a workshop in Bolero and I have achieved a lot. I have four vehicles and two houses, including six shops I am letting out,” said Nkhunga.
He said it was important that government include technical subjects in the country’s education curriculum to impart technical skills to learners while they are young.
Another young man, Adams Kanjinji, from Kandambo Village in T/A Mtwalo in Mzimba District said he
2024 under Teveta informal programme.
He said: “I was enrolled at Golden Gift Vocation Training School in Mzuzu where I got skills in plumbing.
“I offer services in Mzuzu to private and public institutions. I bought a vehicle and I am planning to buy another,” he said.
Teveta executive director Elwin Chiwembu Sichiola said many young people leave school without market-relevant technical skills, as such, Teveta is equipping them with hands-on competencies that match industry and labour market demands.
He said from 2020 to 2023 the institution has trained 12 988 formal apprenticeships.
“Our purpose is to enhance human capital development by producing a qualified and competent workforce relevant for the existing and prospective industry needs, thereby creating both wage and self-employment,” said Sichiola.
