Govt, NBC Bank introduce scholarship to train 1000 youths

THE National Bank of Commerce (NBC) in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has introduced a scholarship programme for 1,000 youths to pursue technical skills training through the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA).

To make the special programme known as the ‘NBC Wajibika Scholarships’  a success, NBC has contributed some 100m/- to provide funding to the students at various VETA colleges throughout the country.

A brief introduction ceremony for the programme was held in Dar es Salaam over the weekend, led by the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, the Director of VETA in Dar es Salaam, Mr Angelus Ngonyani, and senior officials from NBC, led by the Bank’s Managing Director Theobald Sabi.

Speaking about the programme, Prof Mkenda said that the bank’s initiative was in response to a request made by the government through the ministry after realising that, despite removing school fees for primary and secondary education, some families were still unable to afford to send their children for technical skills training.

“We are very grateful to the NBC for accepting our request and today we are introducing this programme together. This step demonstrates NBC’s genuine commitment to supporting the community it serves… we are grateful for and congratulate them,” he pointed out.

Prof Mkenda also noted that the government is currently implementing its plan to construct 64 VETA centres simultaneously in various districts throughout the country, including in the regions of Songwe, Njombe, and Geita, where the centres did not previously exist. The aim is to fulfil the government’s goal of building the institutions throughout the country in order to increase the number of youths with technical skills who can be self-employed.

On his part, the NBC Bank MD, Theobald Sabi, said the programme facilitates funding for various technical training courses through VETA, including tailoring, welding, mechanics, construction, decoration and others.

In addition to the scholarships, Mr Sabi narrated that the programme’s beneficiaries will be inducted into the bank’s programmes, such as NBC KuaNasi and NBC Business clubs, for financial advisory, access to finance, and market linkages.

Equally, Mr Sabi noted that the beneficiaries will be Tanzanian youths aged 18 and above, though from underprivileged backgrounds, adding that the ministry and VETA will supervise the selection process.

Elaborating on the project, Mr Sabi said the NBC Wajibika Scholarship programme is a skill development and job creation programme that seeks to catalyse employment and wealth creation among entrepreneurs and the youth.

He added: “The scholarship programme aims to address the problem of youth unemployment by creating jobs for them through skill development and vocational training scholarships through VETA.

“According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report in 2018, the country generated 282,382 formal jobs, with more than 800,000 to 1,000,000 youths entering the job market to seek employment.

Therefore, the NBC Wajibika Scholarships programme can be a lifeline for youths in need of employment, as it provides them with the opportunity to become self-employed and economically empowered.”

Without going into details, he said the bank’s new introduced service known as the ‘Mwalimu Account’ was designed specifically to meet the unique banking needs of teachers.