08 Jul 2015

Government is planning to align brigades and vocational colleges to offer new programmes which were in demand by the economy.

The Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse told Parliament that would be done through the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) rationalisation exercise.

The exercise, he said would include mining programmes.

“But because of the huge cost to offer TVET programmes not all mining areas will necessarily have a mining institute,” Mr Autlwetse said.

He said the Department of Technical and Vocational Education Training (DTVET) has a partnership with Botswana Chamber of Mines to offer mining programmes at Botswana College of Engineering and Technology (BCET) and the Francistown College of Technology Vocational Education (FCTVE).

Additionally, the assistant minister said all programmes offered at Boteti Brigade would be upgraded in January 2016 to NCC Level, which would result in the introduction of electrical installation, plumbing and pipe fitting, renewable energy and business courses.

Boteti East MP, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe had asked whether the ministry had any plans to upgrade Letlhakane Brigade to a Mining Technical College so that it offered courses needed in the mine and to take advantage of the mushrooming of mines in the Letlhakane area. ENDS