Treasury released only US$4,884 annual support to Vocational Training Centers – report
FINANCE Minister Mthuli Ncube released only US$4,884 per Vocational Training Center (VTC) in the year 2024 leaving the youth centered development engines on dire straits, a report tabled in Parliament has revealed. Zimbabwe has a wide network of VTCs which focus on providing practical, industry-relevant skills to youth and professionals for employment and self-sustenance. VTCs […] The post Treasury released only US$4,884 annual support to Vocational Training Centers – report appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.
Black News 
FINANCE Minister Mthuli Ncube released only US$4,884 per Vocational Training Center (VTC) in the year 2024 leaving the youth centered development engines on dire straits, a report tabled in Parliament has revealed.
Zimbabwe has a wide network of VTCs which focus on providing practical, industry-relevant skills to youth and professionals for employment and self-sustenance.
VTCs have been rated as of paramount importance in the country’s turnaround strategy which now prioritizes innovation and entrepreneurship for its 2,3 million idle youths.
However, details contained in a report submitted to Parliament by the Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training Ministry reveals inadequate financial support from the Treasury.
The report notes that the late release of funds by the Treasury hampered training activities and the implementation of viable production units.
“This has been exacerbated by the non-release of funds by the Treasury. In 2024 alone, funds disbursed for operations were equivalent to US$1 628 per VTC per term. Given that there are 60 VTCs in the country, the amount disbursed for operations was small and could not produce the expected impact, with the majority of VTCs failing to access Treasury funding,” the report said.
It was reported that the national enrolment at VTC institutions is hovering around 9,500 students against a possible demand of 130,000.
“There is a clear gap between the demand for skills and the carrying capacity of the institutions and an urgent need for increased investment in vocational training to align with the national objective of promoting employment creation and economic productivity,” the report said.
The VTCs department has an approved staff establishment of 795 posts but currently, only 573 posts are filled, leaving a deficit of 213 vacant posts. The ideal staff establishment would be 1,600 skills trainers.
It was highlighted that the Ministry was facing challenges in filling up the vacant posts. This had resulted in most of them relying heavily on part-time trainers to fill the gap.
Despite the VTCs offering cross-cutting disciplines such as entrepreneurship and Information Communication Technology (ICT) studies, the report says there is a need for modernisation of the courses offered and improvement towards technology and IT courses such as web designing.
“Most of the equipment at the various centres, as noted at Mutare Urban VTC, was outdated and no longer commensurate with the modern technological trends and digital infrastructure that is being used in the industry and at other training institutions. The tools and equipment at some centres,such as Masvingo Urban VTC were for home use and not for large-scale training, as was the case at other centres visited,” the report said.
It was also established that most of these centers have no service vehicles, whilst VTC programming requires a lot of mobility within and outside respective districts and provinces.
It was further noted that the fee structure at the institutions, on average, was US$500.00 per term, which is beyond the reach of many prospective students.
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