By Timothy Peter

Dedza, December 12, Mana: As a way of improving lives among youths and ensuring they have something to do, World Relief Malawi through Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA) has graduated 360 youths from the area of Senior Chief Kaphuka in Dedza with technical and vocational skills.

Speaking Wednesday, at Mwenje area in the district during the graduation ceremony where the youths were awarded certificates, Senior Chief Kaphuka, commended WRM for helping his area saying it will reduce immoral behaviors as the youths will be busy with what they have learnt.

One of the students, Auswin Mikundi, who underwent trainings at Chongoni Technical College said he expects his life to improve after acquiring skills in fabrication and welding.

"I plan to come up with my own company in the next few years. I advise my fellow youths who are yet to enroll into technical education to do so because it is important as opposed to doing other risky behaviors," he said.

WRM’s Country Director, Matilda Chirwa, said the initiative came in as a response to high levels of unemployment in the area.

"We noted that some of these youths dropped out of school and many of them were in poverty such that they could not proceed to university on their own,” stated Chirwa.

According to Chirwa, the project intends to reach out to 1,500 youths in the area by 2028.

TEVETA Regional Service Centre Manager, Joseph Sambaya, expressed excitement with the demand for technical education among youths arguing that this will help them (youths) to be self-reliant

In his remarks, Director of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Levis Eneya, who was the guest of honour at the graduation ceremony, commended WRM for helping government in contributing to the country's development in-line with the Malawi Vision 2063.

He said the training given to the youths in the area has reduced the problem of congestion in public universities in the country.

"Those that start in primary school and progress to secondary school are only 49.8 percent and from that figure, less than half proceed to tertiary education including TEVETA.

"This means that a lot of youths are neither in employment nor in training institutions and this is a big proportion we can’t ignore," he said.

TEVETA partnered with WRM and Thandizo Orphan Care to offer vocational skills and technical education to the youths of the area.

At the ceremony, the graduates were given start up tools and the organization plans to partner with National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) for the youths to have access to loans that will help them venture into entrepreneurship.