Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has issued five key directives to spur special government apprenticeship programme that targets to reach over 80,000 youths countrywide. The programme is aimed to ensure young people are equipped with job and social study skills for them to effectively participate in the development of the country.
The directives include the use of Kiswahili language in delivering the programme, devising a plan to link the beneficiaries with financial institutions to get loans as capitals to start businesses and effectively participate in all regional and district councils' activities. Others are engaging more stakeholders in the roll out of the programme and councils to continue allocating 10 percent of their budgets as loans to the youth, women and people with disabilities.
Mr. Majaliwa issued the directive yesterday while launching the national apprenticeship programme at the Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Mbeya Region, whose aims is to reach over 80,000 youths. "The programme has continued to demonstrate huge benefits since it was first introduced by equipping the youth with social studies skills, which can enable them to participate effectively in the development of the country," said Mr. Majaliwa.
The Premier observed that the huge unemployment rate is a result of the lack of relevant skills, a reason the Government through its Third Five-Year Development Plans (FYDPIII) intends to increase up to eight million employment opportunities through official and non-official channels. He pointed out that the first and second intake has managed to accommodate over 5,000 beneficiaries, who were enrolled into 13 centres.
He, however, noted that the third-phase has accumulated over 14,000 youths in 72 public and private centres across the country. According to him, the six months training programme has been categorised into four different areas including internships and recognition of prior learning skills among others. Mr. Majaliwa encouraged more youth to enroll into the desired field, whenever the opportunity comes, stressing that the programme is meant for every youth from standard seven leavers, form four, diplomas and higher learning students.
As the third-phase is expected to end in December, the Premier said President Samia Suluhu Hassan has dished out over 9bn/- to allow more youth benefit from the programme. On his part, the Vice-Chancellor at Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST), Prof. Aloys Ntanturo Mvuma, noted some 2,173 youths collected admission forms but they could only recruit 751. He said the move shows that the demand is high, adding that MUST is planning to introduce education programmes which will build the capacity for teachers to teach social studies skills in schools.
On the other hand, the Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disability), Ms. Jenista Mhagam said the goal is to create more employment opportunities in the country and boost the social economic development.