South Africa has signed an agreement with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to upskill youth and women in skills relevant to the automotive industry, said Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, yesterday.
Nzimande said the agreement entails enhancing vocational training in line with private sector needs. It would enhance economic empowerment opportunities for the country’s youth and women through skills development interventions and strengthen the institutional and educator capacity of identified Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.
“We have always looked at training our students for employability and the skills that they acquire in our TVET colleges should help them easily get employment or be able to create employment themselves through the artisanal and technical skills we offer,” said Nzimande.
He stated that the programme would improve automotive skills and align with the post-Covid-19 economy and labour market needs, including through flexible and digital learning mechanisms.
The resident representative of the UNDP South Africa, Ayodele Odusola, said the programme is aimed at addressing the critical skills and improving the country.
He said, “UNDP programming tackles the very core of the challenge – access and education infrastructure – through promoting development cooperation, building collaborative networks, and driving innovation.” | XINHUA