NKANDU SAYS SKILLS TRAINING IS KEY TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT

By Scoop Reporter

JAIN University, one of India’s leading tertiary institutions, is set to establish and make Zambia a hub of Education Excellence in the region to cater for the training and skills needs in the region.

Speaking during a benchmarking exercise in Bangalore, India on Friday last week, Minister of Youth, Sport and Art Hon. Elvis Nkandu said this was part of a robust initiative by the university to upscale the training needs of the country after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Zambian Government early this year.

Hon. Nkandu said already, the university has awarded 10 scholarships to Zambian students to study in India for the 2025 intake under the Presidential scholarship initiative which he said provided an opportunity for beneficiaries to acquire the requisite skills needed in the labour market for economic transformation.

The Minister commended JAIN University for its robust exit strategy for its students which he said was anchored on creating more job opportunities for the graduates through hosting of job fairs and internships, both local and international, where renowned companies interacted with prospective employees.

He said JAIN University would also support the Government with entrepreneurship capacity building and incubation to support young entrepreneurs and appealed to the university to further help in upgrading Youth Resource Centres in the interim to reach out to all the young people across the country.

He said his ministry has been implementing youth skills training programmes in these resource centres through which the Government was providing incubation, skills, and entrepreneurship development.

In the area of arts development, the Minister explained that much of the arts infrastructure in Zambia was constructed before independence and was dilapidated, hence could hardly attract the targeted market. Hon. Nkandu, MP said the Ministry was however addressing the situation.

He said the Government had prioritised the arts sector by embarking on a journey to rehabilitate the already existing facilities and construct new ones.

In order to achieve this goal, the Minister further sought partnership with the Jain University in this critical area through architectural expertise and capacity building for the creative sector to enable them produce quality products that will contribute to job creation,” he said

And the Minister has noted that effective sports administration and management is key towards strengthening sports development in Zambia, adding that the desired sports development could only be achieved through good sports infrastructure and quality sports training, and mentorship.

He said that one of the critical areas of sports development was talent identification and capacity building of coaches and trainers and that his ministry was seeking to incorporate these in the training options provided by JAIN University.

“I am delighted to note that sports science such as biometric and physiology is one of the key courses in the course structure of JAIN school of sports which includes sports psychology, sports medicine and nutrition as well as diets.

“As a ministry, we have a vision to ensure that we have adequate sports infrastructure across the country. This also includes the maintenance of the existing sports infrastructure. This cannot be done by the Government alone as it requires collaborative efforts by both public and private sectors,” he said.

And University Chairman Chenraj Roychand said Zambia has a huge potential for attaining meaningful economic emancipation because the majority of its population is young and productive.

Dr. Roychand said with the right skills training in sectors such as agriculture and energy, the Zambian youths were capable of creating jobs for themselves and others and ultimately contribute to national development.

“I understand that about 40 percent of Zambia’s population is below 35 years. The empowerment of the youths could positively impact the economy of the country and the entire globe. Youths are key in sectors such as agriculture and energy and hold the future regardless of the political or demographical differences,” Dr. Roychand said.