Central Bank financially supports UNAM’s Work Readiness Programme
The Bank of Namibia donated N$150,000 to the University of Namibia’s Work Readiness Programme, critical to the human resource development agenda of the country, to reduce skills mismatches, improve the quality of the workforce and enhance productivity and competitiveness in the economy.
During the handover ceremony, Governor of the Bank of Namibia, Johannes Gawaxab said young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, find it increasingly difficult to make a successful transition from education to employment.
Accepting the donation, UNAM’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kenneth Matengu, said that the University prioritises graduate employability as a key strategic imperative and the Work Readiness Program is one of the initiatives in achieving goals under this strategic theme to decrease graduate unemployment and subsequently increase their employability.
The Work Readiness Program is an initiative of UNAM that is geared towards building the capacity of graduates with soft skills, in preparation for the labour market. Skills that will help them with job hunting, as well as job creation.
The Bank of Namibia is the first institution to respond to the call of the University, requesting its key partners to support the initiative. The course will primarily target enrolled UNAM students in their third and final year and will be offered as a self-paced online course with supplementary face-to-face sessions, through the UNAM Career Service Centre.
This intervention is aligned to a recommendation made by the High-Level Panel on the Namibian Economy, which was chaired Gawaxab, and on which the UNAM Vice-Chancellor, Prof Matengu also served. The panel recommended the establishment of a national internship programme to enhance on the- job skills.
