Youths Lament Lack of Local Skills Development Opportunities

Youths in Ntabazinduna have castigated the Government for turning their vocational training centre into a police training depot that has never benefitted them since it came into existence. They argued that there are so many people coming from other areas to train at that depot and no opportunity has been awarded for local youths.

The young people who gathered under the NYDT banner at a District Peace Workshop lambasted the authorities responsible for transforming the Ntabazinduna skills training centre into a police training depot. The centre among other things used to offer skills training on catering, woodwork, carpentry, agriculture, cutting and design training to local youths. However, it was transformed into a police base without consultation with the locals.

Youths also questioned the criteria used to choose those who qualify to train as police officers. They termed the nepotism and lack of transparency in the recruitment process that is happening at the depot as colonization by fellow Zimbabweans.

"Young people used to benefit immensely in this community when that depot was still a vocational training centre, but now that it is not meant for us we demand that government builds an alternative vocational centre in Ntabazinduna. As it is we have no place to develop our diversified skills and cannot even access any employment," said one of the participants.

It was argued during the meeting that if authorities insist on retaining the depot as a place for youths from outside Ntabazinduna then they should build an alternative vocational training centre in the area so that locals can enjoy the benefits they used to derive  from the centre before. They also said this was one of the issues that needed to be addressed before anyone can claim to heal their community. They highlighted that they cannot say they are a peaceful people when there is structural violence taking place within their community being perpetrated by those in positions of power.

The district peace workshop is one of many ways that NYDT uses to engage the youths on building sustainable peace in Zimbabwe. Young people are asked to identify issues that threaten or disturb peace in their areas before facilitators take them through different session on conflict negotiation skills, leadership as well as human rights monitoring and documentation.