BULAWAYO Vendors and Traders Association and the local authority have joined forces to empower youth with technical skills to kick start self-help projects.

Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association executive director Michael Ndiweni said the initiative sought to take the youth away from the streets.

“We have engaged our local authority as we have a programme whereby the youths from the age of 18 to 24 years would be educated on solar installation and house wiring to provide them with necessary skills to better their employment chances,” he said.

Ndiweni said the local authority had availed vocational training centres for the initiative.

“We have about 150 youths up for taking the programme and the local authority has provided us with three vocational training centres which are in Mzilikazi, Makokoba and Pumula,” he said.

“Around next week, the students might start to learn so that they gain skills as we have already done orientation, which ended last week.”

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Ndiweni said thousands of youths were wallowing in poverty without any source of income.

“We aim to continue working together with our local authority to implement projects that provide development within our city as before we once partnered them in the construction of Nkulumane marketplace, which would provide economic growth within the city,” he said.

Ward 2 councillor Adrian Moyo hailed the programme as a necessary intervention against drug and substance abuse.

“The solar installation programme will make it possible for our local authority to be able to do social responsibility projects for the community, hence empowering youth with skills and keeping them occupied and away from drug and substance abuse,” he said.

Moyo said this would empower youth with skills and help them to have better ways to generate income, hence encouraging growth within the city.
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