NKHOTAKOTA VOCATIONAL SKILLS CENTRE
VOCATIONAL SKILLS • ENTREPRENEURSHIP • LIFE SKILLS
BUILDING SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE
Established in 2011, the core function of our centre is to provide life skills, vocational skills training and entrepreneurship skills to disadvantaged youth in the district. The areas of focus are Electrical Installation, Welding and Fabrication, ICT, Carpentry and Joinery and Tailoring and Fashion Design. At our Centre, we offer Level 1 and Level 2 courses, both of which are a standard one year long. The levels have a combination of in-school teaching and time spent as an apprentice at a business. Our centre is an examination centre working in cooperation with TEVETA. Some of our current and former students have been attached to different companies including ESCOM, Kumudzi Kuwale, and African Parks. Our goal is to be the best vocational skills training centre in Malawi.
PROJECTS
There are several projects under the Vocational Skills Centre, here are some of them:
BUILDING SKILLS FOR JOBS
Building Skills for Jobs is a programme financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, administered by Diku on behalf of Norad. The project is aimed at strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and within a five-year period we aim to educate minimum 437 students and get more than half of them attached to work or to create their own businesses.
To do this, we educate young people in the five different vocational skills we offer in our Vocational Skills Centre, and also have a strong focus on entrepreneurship and developing business skills.
TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE
We have partnered with the UK NGO Tools For Self Reliance to promote the formation of business groups and development of vocational skills amongst young people in Nkhotakota district. With the support of TFSR, we deliver training programmes which include not only technical trade skills, but also business and financial management, health awareness, and life skills.
INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES
A central component of our goal to become financially independent and sustainable is to use our skills and competitive advantage in vocational skills to create top-quality products that can be sold to raise funds for our organisation. We regularly receive orders for products, services or repairs from within and outside of the organisation, and make products for both local companies and private clients.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurship training is an important part of our vocational skills training, in order to help young people have an entrepreneurial mindset. For this reason we have a dedicated Career Centre which focuses on teaching entrepreneurship, as well as counselling and following up students and teaching them other life skills.
PRISONER'S PROJECT
Since 2017, YouthCode has been running a project in cooperation with Nkhotakota Prison to provide vocational training to some of their inmates. As part of this project, about 5 inmates are selected to come to our Vocational Skills Centre and receive formal training and sit for exams. We offer full scholarships to all these students. In this way, we contribute to preparing young people who have been imprisoned for life after incarceration and give them a real chance at a better life upon their release.
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