NTA’s Lukonga talks to German investors on opportunities in vocational training
Mr. Richwell Lukonga from the Namibia Training Authority recently highlighted the need to expand and diversify Namibia’s Vocational Education and Training market.
During his presentation in Berlin, Germany, at the end of May, Lukonga pointed out that “German companies can engage in the training sector in various ways, such as extending and partnering with existing training institutions, building new training centres or providing training equipment”. The conference also featured presentations by German training companies already active in Namibia. maxx-solar, for example, runs a training academy which offers short-term courses on photovoltaic installations and ITS GmbH, a training provider for the aviation industry, has previously trained Air Namibia pilots. He said “these are great examples of successful German investments in our vocational training sphere” adding that more such participation will be appreciated.
The training authority has already initiated a number of successful training cooperations with German partners such as the Chamber of Crafts Frankfurt-Rhein-Main, the Chamber of Crafts in Bremen, and the Esslingen State Academy. Earlier this year, 15 Namibians completed a Training of Trainers course in automotive mechatronics at the Chamber of Crafts in Bremen. “When these trainers go back to Namibia, they reinvest in the country and pass on their skills” said Lukonga.
During his visit to Berlin, Mr. Lukonga also explored future cooperation projects with africrops!, the Training Alliance Teltow (AVT), and the Berlin HTW University of Applied Sciences.
africrops! imports moringa from Namibia and wishes to collaborate with the training authority to train Namibian farmers in the cultivation and harvesting of moringa. This would not only build sustainable supply chains but also help producers to increase their productivity and profit. The discussions with Training Alliance Teltom and the Berlin HTW University of Applied Sciences focused on indentifying opportunities for young Namibians to be trained at German dual VET institutions or universities of higher learning.
Vocational training plays a critical role the development of the Namibian economy through the creation of a skilled labour force. For this reason, international investors can assist Namibia to develop its vocational training sector in line with the Harambee Prosperity Plan.
According to Dr. Mekondjo Kaapanda-Girnus, Commercial Counsellor at the Namibian Embassy in Berlin, “Germany is a global market leader in vocational training and education and there is a lot of potential for German companies to enter our VET market.”
“German investors are already known for providing high quality in-house training but we wish to encourage German vocational education institutions to open training centres in Namibia as well” he said.
