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Training Keetmans’ human capital

Left to Right: Social Security Commission board member, Saul Kahuika, with the Managing Director of Southern Cross Human Capital Management Centre, Maureen Hinda Mbaziira and Social Security chairperson, the Rev. Dr. Andreas Biwa (right).

Left to Right: Social Security Commission board member, Saul Kahuika, with the Managing Director of Southern Cross Human Capital Management Centre, Maureen Hinda Mbaziira and Social Security chairperson, the Rev. Dr. Andreas Biwa (right).

Southern Cross Human Capital Management Centre in Keetmanshoop received a boost last week when the Social Security Commission agreed to help fund the centre from the commission’s Development Fund. The fund is supporting Southern Cross Human Capital Management Centre with a significant grant to train 148 unemployed young people in Food and Beverages Preparation as well as in Culinary Arts. Maureen Hinda–Mbaziira of Southern Cross Human Capital Management Centre said, “Social Security is filling a very crucial gap in skills training and youth unemployment and with a very significant, valuable impact addressing basic social needs [and] challenge at the bottom of society and most importantly in the most needed areas. It should continue doing good for the ordinary young person on the street and the broader Namibian society.”

Rino Muranda, Head of Corporate Communications at the Social Security Commission said the Development Fund aims to assist training schemes and employment schemes [as] approved by the President of Namibia for the benefit of socio-economically disadvantaged people who are unemployed. He said, “Further we grant bursaries, loans and other forms of financial aid to students enrolled at any recognized technical or academic institution of higher education.”  The social security grant has enabled Southern Cross Human Capital Management Centre to take youth from the street and empower them with skills in the hospitality industry that enhance their employability.  Some of the trainees from the first group who completed their course are successfully employed mainly at food outlets and at Shoprite in the new Old Mutual mall in Keetmanshoop.  The current group of 20 students has already secured a placement as interns at some lodges in the Karas Region.  The centre is optimistic that these internships will lead to full-time employment based on performance and vacancies. Mrs Hinda – Mbaziira said “We are halfway through the training and are looking forward to completing it by December 2014, as demand for training is very high but due to poverty people are unable to pay for [this] much needed training.”

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