The Presidential Special Advisor and Head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit in the Office of the President, Kornelia Shilunga, has commended the Keetmanshoop Vocational Training Centre for upscaling the boiler making and metal fabrication course.

Speaking to NBC News, Shilunga said the course upscaling will help address the skills gap in the emerging oil and gas industry.

Shilunga visited the vocational center to familiarise herself with training programmes at the center, which had opened its doors at the beginning of the year.

During a closed-door meeting, the Head of the center, Benedictus Diergaardt, briefed Shilunga on the institution's strategic importance and its role in vocational skills training.

“We do not want to import skills; we do not want to be told that jobs are available, but the necessary skills are not. We want to ensure that all the skills demanded by industry are available within our workforce. This will contribute to job creation, help address the unemployment that many of our young people face, and support the objectives of National Development Plan Six, which prioritises employment creation.”

Shilunga encouraged the youth to enroll in vocational training programmes and benefit from the government's free education initiative.

“Another initiative that is particularly impressive, and one that I wanted to see implemented, is the free education introduced by our President. I have been informed that the students here are not paying any tuition fees and are studying at no cost, as made possible by the President and the government. We therefore encourage young people to apply for admission so they can acquire the skills needed to take up the employment opportunities available in the oil and gas industry.”

The Governor of ||Kharas, Dawid Gertze, also joined Shilunga on her visit to the vocational center.