TEVETA has signed training contracts for more than K10.3 million under Employer-Based Training (EBT) and Human Resources Development (HRD). The investment is part of broader human capital development interventions aligned with national development plans and high-value skills priorities.

TEVETA Board Chairperson, Ngoza Nkwabilo said the investment in the critical skills aligned with the TEVETA Revised Strategic Plan, which sought to address human resources and institutional capacity gaps in skills development for enhanced workforce employability in support of economic transformation.

Speaking during the signing ceremony today, Mrs. Nkwabilo said more than K4.4 million was injected in Human Resources Development (HRD) and K5.9 million in Employer-Based Training (EBT), targeting critical sectors that included tourism, manufacturing, engineering and hospitality.

“Besides the Employer-Based Training contracts we are signing today, TEVETA during the year, signed contracts with 58 employers and 5 training institutions in various skills areas. Through these partnerships, an investment of K28.2 million has been made to benefit 2,557 employees across various sectors of the economy. Under the Human Resources Development (HRD), TEVETA sponsored 192 lecturers drawn from 23 institutions at a total investment of K4.7 million, interventions that demonstrate its continued commitment to strengthening both industry-based skills development and the quality of training delivery within the TEVET system," Mrs. Nkwabilo said. 

Ms. Nkwabilo explained that the programmes that TEVETA was financing were aligned to the evolving industry needs and technological advancements, ensuring that Zambia’s workforce remains relevant in a rapidly changing global economy.

“The TEVETA Board has made a deliberate commitment to invest across the entire skills development value chain. This includes Employer-Based Training for employees, training for SMEs and the informal economy, apprenticeship training, as well as Human Resources Development for trainers” Ms Nkwabilo.

She urged more training institutions to proactively pursue partnerships with companies through Employer-Based Training, particularly for up- skilling, re-skilling and other forms of work-based learning such as apprenticeship, internship and dual training. Ms. Nkwabilo has since called upon TEVETA management to intensify awareness creation on Employer-Based Training and other financing windows under the TEVET Fund, so that more stakeholders can benefit for the greater good of the sector and the nation.

Meanwhile, TEVETA Director General Cleophas Takaiza said TEVETA will continue engaging industry players in a bid to address the skills gaps and increase productivity in the country and improve the economy.

Mr. Takaiza said Employer Based Training provided the employees an opportunity to upgrade their skills. "Human Resource Development is helping lecturers to further their studies. These interventions are designed to ensure that employers become more efficient and competitive in economic growth." 

"Allow me to highlight the Human Resources Development (HRD) contracts being signed today. The breakdown of the sponsored programmes is (i) 9 at master’s degree level, (ii) 1 under postgraduate diploma, (iii) 54 at bachelor’s degree, (iv) 21 diploma level, (v) 8 at craft certificate level and (vi) 8 tailored short courses. 
These are priority and tailored interventions aimed at enhancing training delivery, improving instructional quality and ensuring alignment with industry requirements," he elaborated. 

And TEVETA  Acting Director Finance, Christopher Nyirenda appealed to employers running Employer-Based Training to encourage other employers to come on board so that the Skills Development Levy (SDL) was utilised in upscaling the employees’ skills.

Mr Nyirenda said it is important that the employers that are contributing to the Fund take advantage of the Human Resources Development and the Employer-Based Training so that their institutions become viable and efficient.

The programmes being financed under Employer-Based Training include Engineering, Manufacturing and Industrial Production, Automotive, Heavy Equipment and Transport, Electrical, Electronics and the Built Environment, ICT, Design and Digital Engineering, Occupational Health and Safety (OSH), Tourism and Hospitality.