Frankfurt Chamber lays foundation for master craftsmen in automotive industry
Only Oshiwambo speaking trainees will initially benefit from an agreement between the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the German Chamber of Crafts in Frankfurt, for improving the skills of apprentices in the automotive industry.
“This cooperation, which will last for three years is aimed at aligning skills of graduates from vocational training institutions in the northern regions of Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Oshana and Omusati to the needs and demands of the industry, the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a statement released on Friday. The inter-chamber agreement was signed on Wednesday.
The agreement provides for seventy five trainees to receive further training during 2017 and another 120 during 2018 and 2017.
While the project will focus primarily on panelbeating and spraypainting in the first year of implementation, other technical areas will be considered in the second and third year.
The chamber said German experts will complement Namibian instructors for the duration of the project. The project base is the Eenhana Vocational Training Centre.
Once the pilot phase has been completed, apprentices from other regions will also be considered for further training.
“A number of enterprises in the piloted subsectors will be involved in the training of their future potential employees by providing support for practical training of the participants” the NCCI said indicating that the success of the project will depend on private sector participation to accommodate the apprentices as interns.
The NCCI hopes to become a training facilitator for technical skills through the agreement with the Frankfurt Chamber of Crafts.
In the picture, the Chief Executive of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tarah Shaanika (seated left) signs the agreement with the project manager of the German Chamber of Skilled Crafts in the Frankfurt Region, Ruth Anna Sammel (seated middle). The signing is witnessed by Natanael Haukongo of the UNAM Oshakati campus (standing left), Helene Gretchen Ochs (standing middle), the Eenhana project manager, Tomas Iindji (standing right), the NCCI northern branch Chairman, and Ullrich Kinne, the Deputy Head of the German Embassy.
