29 May 2017

Minister of employment, labour Productivity and Skills Development, Mr Tshenolo Mabeo visited Lobatse brigade and Barolong Vocational Training Centre to get first-hand information on the affairs of the institutions.

Mr Mabeo said in an interview recently that the visit would provide for an exchange of views on vocational education and to explore possible areas for improvement.

He noted that vocational training needed radical transformation and that his ministry was charged with the responsibility to develop its significance since it could boost the country’s economy in future through different acquired skills.

He said they would sought ways to enhance its role in developing the country’s economy, adding that in this regard they were in the process of integrating vocational training centre’s to provide quality education.

He also said he interacted with both teaching staff and students to appreciate the challenges that they encountered in their daily operations such as shortage of lecturers, shortage of learning and teaching aids and lack of training for lecturers as well as lack of attachments for trainees.

He added that government injected a lot of money on training students, therefore it was vital to ensure that they re-tool and re-skill them further on different cadres that would in the long run help create diverse business sectors.

Minister Mabeo said since government was working on reinforcing vocational training, they were currently in talks with different companies to engage brigades trainees on attachment basis to empower them with relevant skills so that upon completion of their studies they would be able to penetrate different job markets or utilise the acquired skills to set up their own businesses and create more jobs for fellow citizens. ENDS