Aggressively combatting youth unemployment

Fighting a common evil
The City of Windhoek signed a memorandum of understanding with the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre to take up students in its workforce as interns.
Jeanette Diergaardt
The City of Windhoek has more than 450 interns in its workforce, according to acting CEO, Jennifer Comalie. The City recently committed itself to an agreement with the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre (WVTC) to take up students from the institution in its workforce as interns. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 24 March between the two institutions.

“We are really serious about giving someone an internship,” Comalie said at the public briefing when the partnership was announced. Having sentimental relationship with WVTC due to past relationships, she added that it is important for the City to play a role in the project.

The City will be looking at six key areas to take up the interns, which includes: Water care, electrical, fitter and turner and boiler making, with a possibility of the administrative field being added to the mix. The opportunities will be made public early next week according to strategic executive of human capital and corporate services, Archie Nikanor.

Initially, the programme will only be taking in 25 students from WVTC. Nikanor added that the City is looking towards doubling the number of interns it has in total, with the majority who will be vocational training students.

He urged the public to open their minds, and called on the youth to equip themselves with as many skills as possible.

WVTC chairperson Webster Gonzo shared that he looks forward to various aspects of the programme’s development, which includes joint research and development between the institutions. Under the theme ‘complex challenges’, he stated that the partnership provides an excellent opportunity for the vocational centre to be expanded.