Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) has received over 8000 applications for its ‘MTC 4LIFE’ project from unemployed Namibian youth across the country.

The N.dollars 2.6 million project, which began in October 2022, is a socioeconomic initiative aimed at reducing youth unemployment and empowering Namibians to work for themselves in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector.

This will be accomplished through a training and upscaling programme for young people aged 21 to 35, as well as a life-changing opportunity to earn a living in photography, graphic design, barbering, make-up, nail technology, hairdressing, catering, sewing, baking, and manufacturing.

MTC Public Relations Officer Erasmus Nekundi told Nampa on Tuesday that the programme is on track so far.

The vetting and shortlisting process was completed, and all prospective candidates were notified of their interviews in mid-December of last year.

Interviews, he said will take place during this month (January 2023) in order for the programme training to begin as planned early next month.

“The programme – MTC 4Life – is offering training in 10 trades, and for each trade, 20 applicants have been shortlisted for interviews. The initiative’s first intake can accommodate and assist 50 candidates in total. So, in February, 50 unemployed youth from all 14 regions will receive business and financial training, and upon completion, they will receive start-up toolkits to allow them to immediately start their own micro-businesses,” he said.

For each of the ten trades in which training will be provided, MTC has partnered with a reputable and previously disadvantaged SME Namibian company within that profession to provide practical training to individual candidates, he said.

Depending on the trade, training will last between three and ten days.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency