00:00Two young women are among the latest cohort of Metal X Y-Tap trainees to benefit from the signing of a five-year MOU,
00:07bringing to over 120 the number of trainees certified in welding and fabrication through the partnership over the last 12 years.
00:16I'm sure that this five years will be the 17th years of our relationship.
00:27Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dalish stressed the importance of industry standard certification and targeted skills development.
00:35I recently had a discussion with NASC and we were discussing the workforce assessment and the prior learning assessment for some of our craftsmen.
00:44And we were progressing those discussions and I'm certain that Y-Tap will be involved in that as we seek to ensure that there's certification
00:56for those who are trained and skilled but not certified because that is becoming a more important part of the industrial landscape.
01:06I'm sure Metal X can attest to that and that's why they are so interested in the process because their success depends on good workers.
01:14The Minister notes that with institutions like Y-Tap, NESC and MIC, there is no shortage of trained TVET professionals entering the market.
01:23But she lamented that one key challenge does exist.
01:26Because so many of them are involved in entrepreneurship and their returns are so much better that they don't want to come into the teaching profession.
01:35So we were discussing that and it is something that as a nation we are going to have to take a decision on.
01:40Because we want our secondary school TVET programs to be as broad as they can be.
01:48And the lack of teachers will cause and is causing a challenge in that area.
01:53Young people desirous of becoming part of the institute's training program can contact either Metal X Engineering Limited or Y-Tap Limited.
02:03Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
