Namibia Training Authority October 2015

Keeping you abreast of developments in the Vocational Education and Training sector

In This Edition Page 2 VET Levy Implementation

Progress Update

Page 3

Page 3

Picture Focus – From Around and About the VET Scene

Page 5

Senior VET Trainers Attend Intensive Training In Spain

Namibia Training Authority Rand Street, Khomasdal, Windhoek Tel: 061-2078550 Fax: 061-2078551 www.nta.com.na

The Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Hon. Dr Itah Kandji-Murangi says the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector must take up its rightful place in the Namibian education sector. The Minister made the remarks in a speech read on her behalf by her Deputy, Hon. Dr. Becky Ndjoze-Ojo at the 2015 graduation ceremony of the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre (WVTC), staged at the Safari Hotel and Conference Centre on the 17th of October 2015.

“VET should now become a credible leg to run alongside the academic leg, on which the Namibian education system has for long, so dominantly relied on”, Dr. Ndjoze-Ojo emphasised. “Subsequently, all institutions that provide VET services must ensure that the sector becomes the engine that fuels, sustains and stimulates Namibia’s economic growth”, she stressed.

The Deputy Minister further noted that the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation will continue to foreground the VET sector under a new funding formula to be introduced next year. “This formula shall ensure that equitable Higher Education comprises of both the academic and vocational legs to provide the necessary equilibrium needed in the Namibian Higher Education sector”, Dr. Ndjoze-Ojo highlighted.

“My Minister and I have already paid visits to all the 14 regions to assess conditions on the ground, especially at the various Vocational Training Centres (VTCs). We are ready to tackle the many challenges that lie ahead to secure employment and self-employment for graduates and ensure that the training they have received is translated into fundable business proposals that will help these graduates to set up their own businesses”, she highlighted.

Altogether 346 trainees were certified at the ceremony in the following trade and occupational areas: Airconditioning and Refrigeration (22); Automechanics (24); Bricklaying and Plastering (27); Boilermaking (22); Electrical General (51); Fitter Machinery (18); Fitter and Turner (11); Joinery and Cabinetmaking (16); Plumbing and Pipefitting (42); Radio and Television (24); Welding and Fabrication (12); and Office Administration (77).

Pinehas Iyambo, a Plumbing and Pipefitting graduate received the WVTC Best Overall Final Year Trainee Award.

The institution also issued special awards to Iita Thomas (Automechanics) and Eliaser Shiweda (Fitter Machinery), for their excellent progress and skill demonstrated during training.

Board Media Statement: NTA CEO Position Recruitment

VET Must Become the Engine that Fuels

Economic Growth

Page 6

African Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre – A Strong VET Newcomer

Page 4

NTA to Commission Feasibility Study for VET Expansion

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016

VET LEVY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS UPDATE

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Greetings! When we lament about the standards of training institutions and substandard performance during assessments, we sometimes forget that quality training is not possible without professional, well-trained, well-supported and committed trainers. Indeed, the quality of training can only be good if the trainer is of good quality. Evidence suggests that the professional knowledge and skills of trainers are the most important factors for the delivery of quality Vocational Education and Training. Improving the skills of VET trainers should therefore remain a key deliverable for all training institutions for the foreseeable future. This will require stronger training upfront and continual professional development and support, to enhance performance and learning outcomes. The NTA’s partnership with TKNIKA (Spain) to improve the quality of local VET trainers is therefore an important step in the right direction. Yours in Vocational Education and Training, Jerry Beukes

SH: Tell us more about yourself away from work? Whether at work or away from work, I am just a simple, down-to-earth, open-minded and humble human being. I am however very conscious of the space around me, so chances are good that you’ll either find me indoors reading, or simply having ‘me’ time. Other than that, I’ll be spending time with friends and family, or attending to church activities.

SH: What is interesting about your job as Finance Officer? I love the challenges that come with my job as they represent opportunities for me to challenge and improve myself. Numbers is my passion, and in my job, it is the name of the game, because at the end of the day things have to balance out. I also love meeting new people every day, so the whole interaction and exposure has been crazily interesting.

SH: How would you describe the NTA work environment? An environment with various sized teams of equally creative and interestingly gifted people. Sometimes rewarding, sometimes challenging. Sometimes ecstatic, sometimes blue. Always interesting. Never a dull moment.

SH: What other passions do you have? I love reading. I find books fascinating. I am also very creative in the kitchen and I simply love trying out new recipes. I have always been into sports, but nowadays I hardly have time for it. I am also passionate about helping and lending a hand whenever I get a chance to do so. To summarise, I am a multi-talented multi-tasker.

SH: What is the first thing you do when you wake up? I open my eyes slowly see the dazzling sunrise and once again slowly completely close them again and pray, the exquisiteness of starting a day on your knees.

This month, The

Stakeholder caught up with Finance

Officer, Winnie Kaovere, to find out more about this soft-

spoken and always friendly lady.

FROM THE

ACTING CEO’S DESK

As at the end of September 2015, a total of 2 330 (two-thousand three-hundred and thirty) employers were registered for the VET Levy. A total of N$390m had been collected in levies, made up of N$266m and N$124m for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 Year-To-Date financial years, respectively.

The aforementioned figures are contained in a media statement issued by the NTA’s Acting CEO, Jerry Beukes, on the 26th of October 2015, to update employers and other stakeholders on the implementation of the VET Levy.

In accordance with the provisions of the VET Levy Regulations and Notice, all levies collected by the NTA are to be disbursed, in line with the following formula: 35% for Key Priority Training Grants; Up to 50% for Employer Training Grants; and Up to 15% for the NTA’s Administration Costs. As far as the Key Priority Training Grant Funding Allocation is concerned, a five-year Skills Development Plan, incorporating key priority occupations in all economic sectors to be supported under the VET Levy key priority grant allocation, was developed and approved by the NTA Board for implementation. Beukes noted that in total, N$47.7m has been committed for interventions under the Key Priority Training Grant Funding Allocation thus far and that a total of 1 100 (one-thousand one-hundred) additional trainees will benefit directly from this allocation. Under the Employer Training Grant Funding Allocation, and in accordance with the VET Levy Regulations, VET Levy-paying employers may claim, within 31 days after the end of the NTA’s financial year, up to 50% of levies paid, on condition that they submit applications which contain evidence of the actual cost of training conducted. Beukes highlighted that training to be considered for the Employer Training Grant Funding Allocation must meet one of the following criteria: accredited VET training courses; or training courses not accredited, but related to accredited VET training courses; or as exceptions, training courses not accredited, not related to accredited training courses, but related to VET courses. Board approval is required in such instances. In accordance with the VET Levy Regulations, up to 15% of levies collected can be utilised for the NTA’s administration costs. The Board approved a framework to determine costs to be supported by the VET Levy’s 15% administration allocation. The NTA incurred administrative expenditure amounting to about N$19m (7.1%) during the 2014/15 financial year.

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016 SENIOR VET TRAINERS TO

UNDERGO INTENSIVE

TRAINING AT TKNIKA (SPAIN)

Altogether 13 senior VET trainers are to attend an intensive training course from the 22nd of November until the 04th of December 2015, in the Basque Country of the Kingdom of Spain.

This training intervention forms part of the overall implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the NTA and Spain's Institute of Innovation & Applied Research for Vocational Education & Training (Tknika), on the 16th of March 2015, at NTA Village in the capital.

Tknika is a renowned European institute of innovation created by the Basque Ministry of Education, Universities and Research, under the direct support of Spain’s Ministry of Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Lifelong Learning.

A senior trainer from six Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) trainers and the respective VTC Heads of Career Programmes are to make up the Namibian team. A member of the NTA’s Vocational Curriculum Implementation Division will join them.

The training course is aimed at improving the technical and pedagogical skills and knowledge of participants. Upon their return, they will be expected to share their knowledge and skills with colleagues in their respective trade disciplines from all the VTCs, in the form of training workshops.

The NTA’s Board of Directors issued a media statement on the 3rd of November 2015, which had as an objective to inform stakeholders about the status of the advertised position of CEO of the NTA.

Below, the verbatim statement signed by the Chairperson of the Board, Otto Nakasole Shikongo.

1. The NTA advertised the position of CEO during May and June 2015. In response to that advertisement, a number of interested candidates submitted their applications.

2. The Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation has given a directive to put the recruitment process on hold, due to the review of the enabling Acts of Public Enterprises that resort under the Ministry of Higher Educatio, Training and Innovation.

3. The NTA therefore hereby informs all the stakeholders and the candidates who applied for the CEO position that the recruitment process of the NTA CEO has been put on hold until further notice.

4. Mr. Jerry Beukes will continue as Acting CEO.

END

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PARTNERS: Acting CEO, Jerry Beukes and Tknika Executive Director, Prof Iñaki Mujika.

NTA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) POSITION RECRUITMENT

STAKEHOLDER DIARY

• 19 November 2015 Assessment and Certification Framework (ACF) for the VET System in Namibia - Stakeholder Validation Workshop, NTA Village

• 20 November 2015 Eenhana VTC Graduation Ceremony, Eenhana

• 03 December 2015 NTA Board of Directors Meeting, Windhoek

Your monthly investment in the VET Levy for October 2015 is due, on or before the 20th of

November 2015. Pay before the deadline and avoid penalties and/or interest!

NOVEMBER 2015

4

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016 AFRICAN HOSPITALITY & TOURISM TRAINING CENTRE: A STRONG NEWCOMER TO THE TRAINING SCENE

SH: Tell us about your course offerings. The African Hospitality & Tourism Training Centre offers the National Vocational Education and Training Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism on Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4, as registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Our training philosophy is to develop in our trainees the skills and attitudes needed to enable them to work efficiently and with confidence in the Hospitality and Tourism sector. Our well-balanced courses include components such as practical lessons, group discussions, expositions and job attachments. Trainees also enjoy exposure to the administrative and management aspects of the sector.

SH: Why should a prospective trainee be interested in enrolling at the African Hospitality & Tourism Training Centre? Our mission is to strive to always offer the best possible quality of training services. We deem ourselves highly responsive and proactive in meeting the needs of our industry clients. Our institution is registered by the NTA and

accredited by the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA).

SH: Can you zoom in a bit on the composition of your courses? The National VET Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism consists of a wide range of modules, offered at different levels. These modules include Food and Beverage Services; Commercial Cookery and Catering; Lodge, Camp and Guesthouse Operations; Accommodation Services; Front Office Operations; Housekeeping Operations; and Hospitality Services Operations. The content indeed covers the full spectrum of services rendered in the broader Hospitality and Tourism sector.

SH: How did you come to start the African Hospitality & Tourism Training Centre? I have always had a love and passion for the Hospitality and Tourism industry, and having worked in the sector for a number of years, I have always cherished a dream of establishing an institution to train my fellow countrymen and women and empower them with the skills needed to excel in this very exciting sector. It hasn`t been an easy journey at all, but I am grateful to have made it this far, and I will continue to aim for greater heights, not only for this institution, but for the broader Hospitality and Tourism sector.

SH: Tell us about your team. They are a group of dedicated individuals who share in our institution’s vision to become a frontrunner in the provision of high quality Hospitality and Tourism training services. Our greatest strength in my humble opinion is that my team grasps and appreciates their roles and

responsibilities in allowing our institution to focus on its core function, which is to empower young men and women with the rights skills and attitudes to one day enter the Hospitality and Tourism sector with confidence, fortitude, passion and resilience. At the end of the day, it`s all about clear and concise communication, dedication, togetherness, teamwork and most importantly – a shared appreciation that our trainees are our biggest asset.

SH: What makes being involved in the skills training sector so rewarding? The fact that my team can overcome the daily challenges they face in the training of our trainees and finding creative solutions to such problems, makes being involved in this sector very rewarding. Also, knowing that we produce skilled and competent trainees to send out into the industry is extraordinarily rewarding.

SH: What are your views on Vocational Training and Education? VET is the backbone of any modern economy and Namibia should be no different. VET gives an opportunity to young men and women, especially the previously disadvantaged, to acquire skills and knowledge to make a positive contribution to society. If all roleplayers in this very important sector can pull together, our country’s future should be safe and secured. This, I believe, is especially true for the Hospitality and Tourism sector, which I serve.

Located in Abraham Mashego Street in Katutura, the African Hospitality & Tourism Training Centre is a relative newcomer to the local Vocational Education and Training (VET) scene. The Stakeholder recently caught up with the centre’s Founder

and Managing Director, Eude Kambuta, to tell us more about this registered institution and its course offerings.

PROUD FOUNDER:

African Hospitality & Tourism Training Centre Managing Director, Eude

Kambuta

EXPOSITION PRIZE: The centre actively participates in VET career promotion events. It scooped a ‘Best Exhibitor’ award

at the 2015 NTA Skills Expo.

EXCELLENT FACILITIES: Trainees gathering in one of the centre’s well-

equipped training rooms.

Contact Us : The African Hospitality & Tourism Training Centre Abraham Mashego Street, Maroela, Katutura Tel: 061- 256849, Fax2Mail: 0886552009 E-mail: info@africanht@iway.na

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5

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016 PICTURE FOCUS

SHARE YOUR VET PICTURES AND HAVE THEM PUBLISHED IN OUR

MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER

info@nta.com.na

VET DEMONSTRATION An African Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre trainee demonstrates the art of sushi to an interested

school learner

SHARING IN VET CELEBRATIONS OVTC Head, Penson Mootu, RVTC Head, Erkki Tjandja and ZVTC Head, Richard Kambinda attended the recent

WVTC graduation ceremony

PROUD MOMENT Acting CEO, Jerry Beukes handing over her certificate to a proud WVTC trainee

VET ACHIEVER Higher Education Deputy Minister, Hon Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo joined WVTC graduation prize winner,

Thomas Iita, for a photo

VET ASSESSMENT OVTC Hairdressing trainees hard at work preparing for

their end-of-year assessments

CURRICULUM DESIGN A participant busy preparing a presentation during a

recent Water and Sanitation Sector Roundtable Workshop held by ProVET at NTA Village

THE BIG MOMENT WVTC trainees queuing up to receive their certificates at

the recent graduation ceremony

FOOD PREPARATION An African Hospitality and Tourism

Training Centre trainee during a practical training session

VET SOLIDARITY HR Receptionist, Ueurora Tjijenda and

VET Programmes Officer, Sackey Angala donned their black outfits to show their support to the Gender-

Based-Violence ‘Black Friday’ Awareness Campaign

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NTA to Commission Feasibility Study for VET Expansion

The NTA is soon to commission a Feasibility Study, which it expects will culminate in a fully costed and scheduled Vocational Education and Training (VET) Expansion Plan.

Acting CEO, Jerry Beukes, in a media statement issued on the 27th of October 2015, said the NTA, in response to the objectives of the Fourth National Development Plan, which require an increase in the immediate and long-term supply of skilled labour to alleviate the country’s skills shortage, developed a Concept Paper on the Expansion of VET services. “Subsequently, a Pre-Feasibility Study was commissioned in January 2015 to assess the current state of the local VET sector and recommend appropriate strategies to expand the provision of VET services to meet current and future skills demands of industry and the labour market. A key recommendation was to improve the quality of training and triple the intakes of the formerly state-owned Vocational Training Centres (VTCs), now under the NTA’s supervision, from just over 6,000 in 2014, to about 20,000 by 2020”, Beukes added.

The NTA will now collaborate with relevant State-owned Enterprises (SOEs), as well as community-based and accredited private training providers to follow the same trend, or better, over this period. “Other key recommendations included, amongst others: upgrading and expanding existing training institutions; establishing new institutions; improving the quality of services offered by training institutions and the responsiveness of course offerings; investing in the training and

upskilling of VET trainers; accelerating the registration of VET qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF); developing national funding norms and standards; promoting entrepreneurship among VET trainees and graduates; rebranding the Vocational Training Centres (VTCs); and strengthening capacities within the NTA”, Beukes noted.

He added that the NTA was now to implement, as interim measures, a range of ‘Quick-Wins’, which need not wait for the conclusion of the Feasibility Study. These include: engaging and supporting public and accredited private training institutions to increase enrolment; developing and implementing a Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) for the VTCs; establishing a VTC-wide Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) system; and capacity building for VET trainers.

“We are now prioritising the implementation of the ‘Quick-Wins’, whilst gearing ourselves for the full implementation of the detailed VET Expansion Plan. It is in line with our mandate to expand training opportunities continuously to meet market demands for vocational and technical skills and improve the quality and diversity of training programmes”, Beukes said.

NTA Acting CEO Jerry Beukes

MELISSA SHANJENGANGE RESIGNS FROM NTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

One of the members of the Board of Directors of the NTA, Melissa Shanjengange, resigned from the Board on 11 August 2015.

Shanjengange was appointed to the NTA Board for an initial three-year term, from 01 October 2011 to 30 September 2014. Shanjengange was reappointed to serve another three-year term from 01 October 2014. Her resignation was necessitated by work commitments outside Namibia. Shanjengange served as the Chairperson of the Board’s Human Resources Committee throughout her tenure. She also served on the Board Strategic Committee.

The Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation is expected to soon announce who is going to replace Shanjengange on the NTA’s Board of Directors.

The Board and employees of the NTA wish to thank Shanjengange for her selfless service and dedication to our organisation and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

Outgoing Board Member

Melissa Shanjengange

Nakayale VTC Guest

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