Swakopmund:The Namibia Training Authority (NTA) is calling on training institutions to evaluate vocational training effectiveness by assessing graduates' capabilities to satisfy industry demands, secure employment, and establish successful businesses. This approach shifts the focus from merely considering enrolment and graduation statistics.

According to Namibia Press Agency, NTA's Senior Manager for Corporate Strategy and Organisational Performance Management, Sackeus Pohamba, highlighted during a stakeholder engagement in Swakopmund that Namibia's economic goals necessitate a skills development framework that emphasizes practical competence, innovation, economic diversification, and youth empowerment.

Pohamba stressed the importance of vocational training's alignment with product and service demands, as well as employer standards, to equip graduates with the ability to address business and community challenges. He warned that obtaining a qualification alone does not guarantee employment or customers for self-employed individuals, emphasizing the need for a connection between skills and market demand.

Additionally, Pohamba pointed out the significance of community skills development centres in offering alternative educational pathways for individuals who may not have had access to conventional academic opportunities. He underscored the critical role of technical skills in driving economic growth, particularly as Namibia aims to increase local participation in emerging industries and create opportunities for the youth.

Community Skills Development Foundation (COSDEF) Training Manager Penehafo Kaulinge supported the call for stronger collaboration between training providers and industry. She emphasized that practical training should prepare learners to meet evolving workplace demands and future business opportunities. Kaulinge noted that skills become valuable when graduates can apply them effectively in the workplace, meet customer expectations, and contribute to business development.

Kaulinge also advocated for enhanced support for trainers through industry visits, professional development, and exchanges with practitioners to ensure training remains relevant to current workplace technologies and standards.