KARONGA (Maravipost)–Malawi President Peter Mutharika on Friday officially launched Community Technical Colleges and appealed to the private sector to support the program for the trainings being provided to relevant to the needs of the industry in the country.
The launching ceremony to took place at Ngala Community College in northern district of Karonga on Friday.
According to Mutharika, the colleges will not only provide formal training for those with Malawi Schools Certificate of Education (MSCE) but also informal training for school dropouts.
Every year, over 50,000 young men and women qualify for MSCE but cannot all access tertiary education.
“With only 7 National Technical Colleges, we have the least number of people accessing Technical and Entrepreneurial and Vocational training in the SADC region.
“At present these colleges can accommodate less than 2,000 students. Seeing this large number of young men and women entering the labour market without any skill is a matter of great concern for me,” said Mutharika.
He said these Community Technical Colleges are aimed at ensuring a generation of more productive Malawians by contributing extensively to increasing access to grass-roots Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Training.
Mutharika also told the gathering that in the Unites States of America, Community Technical Colleges are well recognized as building block for an employable population because they provide employable skills at affordable costs.
“Community Technical Colleges provide communities with a way out of boredom and aimless idling for young men and women who have finished school but who for one reason or another were unable to get into university.
“Most importantly, the skills and training taught at Community Technical Colleges are designed to be the ones that are in demand in the employment market especially in the communities in which they are located, thereby guaranteeing employability,” explained Mutharika.
He said, with a Community Technical Colleges in every district, the labour and business outlook of the communities will be transformed.
“Ngara Community Technical College belongs to the people of Karonga. It is here to assist and benefit the people of this district. The DPP manifesto emphasizes skills development for employment creation as a major economic agenda of my administration,” he claimed.
He also said for Malawi to be transformed from predominantly consuming and importing country to a predominantly producing and exporting one, “we need the expertise to manufacture finished products and add value to our agricultural commodities for export”.
