TEVETA Director General, Cleophas Takaiza has urged local authorities to build capacities of their skills training centres to absorb more youths, help address community skills needs and enhance income generation at different economic levels.

Speaking when courtesy call on Ndola City Council Town Clerk, Mr. Takaiza said investing in infrastructure, training equipment, tools and up-skilling trainers in the centres would improve the quality of skills among the youths for them adequately take up community projects and effectively participate in the economy.

"Hands-on and entrepreneurship skills are the new global currency. The world is looking for people with practical competences and entrepreneurially grounded to innovate solutions faced by communities. These are the skills we need for infrastructure development, agriculture productivity and other sectoral aspirations using local human resources from our training institutions,” he added.

Mr. Takaiza said local authorities could help address skills gaps and limited capacity of youths in their jurisdictions for the skilled youths to tap into funding opportunities such as the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

“With the increase of CDF, local authorities can benefit from the fund by training many youths in their skill centres. Councils without skills centres can send them to those councils that have them. This can only be achieved when these centres have well capacitated trainers, equipped workshops with modern tools and offer a variety of courses on demand.”

The Director General and his team later toured Chifubu, Mushili and Mine Masala skills training centres managed by the Ndola City Council to appreciate their skills development efforts and interact with students under TEVETA sponsorship, CDF, and those who were on self-sponsorship. He urged students to work hard and to put their practical competences and entrepreneurial skills to good use them to improve their livelihood as well as contribute to job and wealth creation to stimulate sectoral and national economic development.

Meanwhile, Acting Ndola City Council Town Clerk, Ms. Chembe Chishimba, commended TEVETA for financing skills centres under the Ndola City Council to increase young people capacity to effectively participate in the economy. Ms. Chishimba called on the youths to utilise training opportunities for their betterment of their lives.

Ms. Chishimba was accompanied by a team from the Department of Housing and Social Services and Public Relations.