KEETMANSHOOP: The Keetmanshoop Vocational Training Centre (VTC) is nearing completion, with an inauguration scheduled for the third week of November. Funded by a N. dollars 103 million loan from the African Development Bank, the construction aims to provide vocational training courses in the southern town. The Namibia Training Authority (NTA) plans to have the campus fully operational by January next year.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Amon Haufiku, chairperson of the VTC operationalisation committee, revealed during a stakeholder engagement with the || Kharas regional leadership that the centre faced delays due to COVID-19 and contractor performance issues. However, the building is now practically complete, with the contractor addressing a snag list and finalizing water and electricity connections. Initially, the centre will offer courses in industrial mechatronics, water technology, firefighting, and occupational health and safety. Over the medium to long term, it plans to expand into agriculture, air
craft maintenance, plumbing and pipeline, facility maintenance, heavy plant operation, and dangerous goods driving.
Mornay Louw, NTA’s corporate communications and stakeholders’ engagement manager, emphasized the importance of aligning the courses with Namibia’s developmental agenda. The goal is to ensure graduates can secure employment or become self-employed, particularly in emerging energy sectors. ‘We want to address skill gaps in critical sectors essential for economic growth, and we can all agree that the energy sector is critical right now,’ Louw stated. The new centre will feature four workshops, an administration block, a classroom block with two classrooms, ablution facilities, and student accommodation.