President Lazarus Chakwera says the National Youth Service (NYS) will train thousands of unemployed youth with marketable skills and connect them to opportunities for productive and profitable work.
Chakwera who launched the program in Neno yesterday, described the NYS as a timely intervention which he said will perfect his government’s youth empowerment drive.
The initiative – which formed part of Chakwera’s campaign promises both in 2019 and 2020 – offers a multi-pronged approach to offer profitable ventures to young people though vocational training and capitalisation of respective trades of choice that include crop, livestock, fish and poultry farming, Information, Communications & Technology (ICT), carpentry, welding, tailoring and renewable technologies.
“Interestingly, the program has been tailored according to particular localities where young people are given freedom to choose trades that align with their needs, competencies and favourable geographical and climate practicalities.
“It is my commitment to see the National Youth Service achieve its purpose. That is why we have linked it to the National Economic Empowerment Fund (Neef) and Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (Teveta). Purposely, this will create the right synergies for growth and sustenance of the program,” Chakwera said on his Facebook page.
During the launch, Chakwera toured Neno Integrated Youth Development Centre from where many programs have been incorporated and will be replicated across the country.
Government has set aside K3 billion for the program that will see 20,000 youths, who are expected to serve a one year national youth service, benefiting this year through development of skills, whose training will vary between three to six months, according to their capabilities.
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