The Omaheke Region is set to host a career fair on the 21st February, exposing learners and the youth to career paths of their choice.

The career fair chairperson, Violet Simataa, urged young people from the Omaheke Region to attend the event to connect with key education and training institutions.

"They are invited to come because they are just sitting at home doing nothing. We have extended our invitation to different stakeholders within the sector of education, and they are going to come and showcase their products. If you have UNAM, NUST, IUM and all the VTCs, in Omaheke currently we only have one state-owned VTC, which is the Gobabis VTC; you will have COSDEC there, and you have Eureka, which is a nursing school in Omaheke. So if you have those people in one place, it's very beneficial for our learners because they get to hear the firsthand information."

She added that there is a common misconception that only university education matters.

"Vocational education has benefits equally as university, so one can do both if you want, or you can choose to do one. It's okay for a child who got 40 points to come to Gobabis VTC. It's very normal. So we have a perception that VTCs are only meant for people that have failed, but then in an actual sense, the people that go through VTCs, most of them, if not all, become very successful."

She pointed out the critical role of vocational education in shaping the future of young people in the region.

Simataa stressed that skills development goes beyond academic achievements. 

"So it's up to us now to start coming up with the initiatives that help or meet the government halfway by training this youth to become entrepreneurs, so that's why it's basically very important for every young person in the Omaheke Region to come and understand."