Karonga District Youth Officer Urges Youths to Embrace Vocational Skills to Tackle Unemployment Challenges

Karonga, Malawi - Lapken Liwago, the Karonga District Youth Officer (DYO), has urged youths in the district to have a changed mindset towards vocational skills to reduce the challenges of unemployment levels, writes Wezzie Mwangonde.

Liwago made the request during a graduation ceremony for students who completed their training in computer skills and fashion design at Lusubiro Community Care in the district.

"It's time for the youths to change their mindset towards vocational skills to improve their economic lives," said Liwago.

He also commended the non-governmental organization (NGO) for providing training materials and food to the youths during the training. He said it has complemented government efforts at economic empowerment among the youths, thereby contributing to Malawi2063.

Kondwani Kapombe Nyasulu, the Lusubiro Community Care Programmes Manager, urged graduating students to continue practising the skills they have acquired.

He also highlighted that, as a non-profit organization, it aims to provide support to vulnerable groups, including youths who benefit from informal training.

"We plan to reach out to more youths with informal training, but due to challenges with training materials and equipment, we enrol few youths," explained Nyasulu.

Martha Chilongo, a fashion and design student, expressed gratitude to Lusubiro Community Care for the skills she has attained. She described that it has come at a time when jobs are scarce among the youth in the country.

Lusubiro Community Care has trained 15 students in computer skills and 20 students in fashion design from October 2022 to March 2023.

The call by the Karonga District Youth Officer for youths to embrace vocational skills comes at a time when Malawi is grappling with high levels of unemployment, especially among the youth.

The government and other stakeholders have been urged to prioritize vocational training to equip the youths with relevant skills that can lead to self-employment and job creation.