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Heavy Plant Operator School in pipeline

Heavy Plant Operator School in pipeline

Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) in collaboration with the Namibia Training Authority (NTA), the Roads Contractor Company Limited (RCC), and Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) earlier this week inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will facilitate the introduction of a qualification base training for heavy plant operators.
The training will take place at the Human Resources Development Centre (HRDC) established as a public enterprise from the Department of Water Affairs, and will start its training in March 2017.
Speaking at the signing of the MoU, the CEO of NamWater, Dr Vaino Shivute detailed that the HRDC, which has been credited with the National Vocation Certificate in Road Construction and Maintenance (Heavy Plant Operator Training) levels 1-3 will be establish the training on based on the Implementation Partnership Agreement (IPA)signed at the event.
Shivute said that the training will have an intake of 20 students for the level 1 intake yearly. “In terms of the IPA, NamWater has committed itself to ensuring that the heavy plant operator training that is to be introduced is successful. Therefore NamWater commits itself through the agreement to contribute a total of N$ 4, 088,000,” he announced.
The breakup of cost will include the construction of a new hostel accommodation valued at N$3 million, the construction of a practical training area (roads and pits) estimated at N$80000 and the remuneration of two new employees, which include a instructor and multi-skilled assistant estimated at N$350,000 per annum. Other cost will include administration fees, a hall of maintenance, a student canteen etc.
Furthermore, the CEO of RCC, Mr Tino !Hanabeb said that the training should be aggressively marketed to grade 12’s as Namibia currently faces shortages in the field, saying “currently Namibia only has 72 heavy plant operators, a total of 422 operators will be need within the industry over the next two years.” !Hanabeb detailed that the RCC will provide internships to the trainees as well a donation of equipment for training purposes.
Mr Leif Puschmann from GIZ, the Manager for Promotion of Vocational Education and Training (ProVET), detailed that GIZ Namibia will support the introduction of Heavy Plant Operator Training in Namibia by means of a capital investment and technical assistance.
“GIZ Namibia will provide initial start up funding of an equivalent of up to EUR100,000 to ensure the training can start in the first quarter of 2017. These funds will be used to procure two machines critical to the start-up. GIZ Namibia will donate these machines to the NamWater HRDC for the use in the Heavy Plant Operator Training,” Puschmann said.
GIZ in addition will provide advisory support services through the ProVET team which will include quality assurance, coordination, training provider support as well as recruit the services of a technical expert for the HRDC to provide hands-on support during the start of the implementation of the training course. Puschmann explained that facilitated the setting-up of the IPA between signing parties, adding that the unit standards and training materials that will be used in the training programme were developed with the assistance of a ProVET financed integrated expert.

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Musa Carter

Musa Carter is a long-standing freelance contributor to the editorial team and also an active reporter. He gathers and verifies factual information regarding stories through interviews, observation and research. For the digital Economist, he promotes targeted content through various social networking sites such as the Economist facebook page (/Nameconomist/) and Twitter.