24 Mar 2024

The Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) has been commended for focusing on the identification of indigenous skills and showcasing them during the 2024 Botswana Human Resource Development Skills fair and career clinics (BHRDS).

Giving a keynote address Tuesday, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Mr Pontsho Pusoetsile expressed gratitude that HRDC facilitated for the creative industry to be showcased at the fair, including featuring indigenous skills practitioners.

“Providing them with complementary stalls, both in Francistown and Gaborone, to showcase and share their knowledge with the younger generation is highly commendable,” he said.

He said this showed that HRDC, with its mandate to develop human capital, had embraced skills development in all its manifestations.

“It is encouraging to know that a council supports workplace learning to ensure that skills development initiatives are carried out beyond the school setup, as evidenced by the active participation of the private sector, through the utilisation of the Human Resource Development Fund, claimed by employees,” he stated.

Mr Pusoetsile applauded the collaborative efforts of all partners in this fair, demonstrated by the HRDC, tertiary education institutions, Ministry of Education and Skills Development, state owned entities, independent government departments and the private sector.

In his welcome remarks, Ministry of Education and Skills Development’s deputy permanent secretary, Mr Kgopotso Ramoroka said the HRDC fair and career clinics provided a crucial platform for young people to embark on a journey of exploration and discovery.

He encouraged prospective tertiary learners to take advantage of the fair and careers clinics and use the knowledge they acquired to make wise, deliberate and intentional decisions about their future.

Mr Ramoroka expressed gratitude to exhibitors who participated in the fair for helping enhance the educational experience of students by providing them with comprehensive understanding of the mirrored opportunities available to them.

Giving an overview of the fair, HRDC chief executive officer, Professor Alinah Segobye said the fair had been a feature of HRDC for over a decade.

“We noted that there was a gap in the market in ways in which we can assist and render assistance to young people who are transitioning from secondary school and seeking opportunities to develop their career towards tertiary education,” she explained.

Prof. Segobye said HRDC also found it fitting to provide a platform for education-friendly service providers to meet, share ideas and create learning opportunities for young people to make informed career choices. ENDS