VETA, Lindi Jumbo eye skills partnership
LINDI: THE Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) and ASNL Advisory Limited have visited Lindi Jumbo Graphite Mine in Ruangwa District, Lindi Region, to identify technologies and skills required to prepare trainees for employment in the mining sector.
The visit, conducted yesterday, was aimed at enabling VETA to understand the technologies used at the mine and align its training programmes with the skills demanded by the growing mining industry.
Speaking after the visit, VETA Director General, CPA Anthony Kasore, said the authority had identified various technologies used in production and would use the knowledge to strengthen training programmes and produce graduates capable of securing employment in mines.
“We have identified the technologies used in production at this mine, and we will translate what we have learnt into training programmes at our colleges so that graduates can secure employment in mines,” Mr Kasore said.
He said the visit had also highlighted the need for VETA to establish a formal partnership with Lindi Jumbo through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen skills development.
Under the proposed cooperation, he said VETA instructors would be exposed to technologies used at the mine, while trainees would have opportunities to undertake practical training and gain first-hand experience in mining-related activities.
Mr Kasore said VETA would also explore opportunities to assess and certify skills acquired by young people working around the mine through its Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme.
He said some young people in the area had already acquired practical skills through training provided by the mine in areas such as welding and machine operation.
“We have an RPL programme, and here at Lindi Jumbo, young people living around the mine are being trained so that they can participate in production activities such as welding and operating machinery. We see a need to assess their skills, identify gaps, address them and provide certification according to the skills they have acquired,” he said.
The VETA Director General said the approach would help recognise skills already possessed by young people while enabling them to improve their competencies and access wider employment opportunities.
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Acting Head of Lindi Jumbo Graphite Mine, Makasi Saimon, called for the VETA-mine partnership model to be expanded to other mining operations so that graduates could access employment opportunities across the sector.
He said closer cooperation between vocational training institutions and mining companies would enable trainees to acquire skills relevant to actual workplace requirements and increase opportunities for local employment.
ASNL Advisory Limited Director Humphrey Simba said the company was working with VETA to develop a skilled workforce for the mining sector, particularly in strategic minerals.
He said the company’s role was to identify skills required by the mining industry and support efforts to align training with emerging demands, hence the visit to Lindi Jumbo.
Meanwhile, Mourice Japhet, a VETA Moshi graduate under the Integrated Mining Technical Training (IMTT) programme, said his employment at Lindi Jumbo demonstrated the potential of vocational training to equip Tanzanians with skills needed in the mining industry.
“I am proud that we, as Tanzanians, are now working here. In the past, many technicians in mines came from other countries, but the situation is changing. I urge VETA to continue providing different training programmes that will enable Tanzanians to work in various projects and mines,” he said.
Lindi Jumbo Graphite Mine produces graphite, a mineral used in the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries and solar panels.
