By Moses Okwera-Torit
Torit Vocational Training Center graduates more than four hundred students in the different fields of; carpentry and joinery, brick laying, electricity and solar, plumbing, auto-mechanic, tailoring and garment cutting and computer studies.
The students have been undergoing a four months training in different courses.
According to the Germano Okello, principal of the vocational training center the training has reduced the rate of criminality within the society since most of the youths decided to join the training which kept them busy
“today we are graduating four hundred and five trainees in which we have two hundred and eighty nine males, one hundred and sixteen females they were being offering seven different trades, I do honor my instructors who have trained these trainees for four months without even any problem till today, if we shall be passing them, they will be some useful citizens among the community. We have reduced the number of criminals among the community they locally call ‘‘Niggers’’, most of them have come here for these trainings now they become the good citizens”
Samuel Deng, Managing director for WAP Organization, the implementing agent for the training, asks the government to support the youths who attained the training by linking them to companies so that it enables them to utilize the skills.
Clip 2 Graduation
“this batch is the first batch that is being handled by WAP and we are going to have a second batch that will be running up to August this year. The importance of this day is that we have the graduates that are going out there to market and ensure that they earn for themselves and then they add to the economy of this country. The government can support them by ensuring that if there are other contractors that come here, then we will be telling them that we have those people who have acquired skills, you get them and use them”
Meanwhile Lupo Paul, director for TVET in Eastern Equatoria says there is a need to upgrade the vocational school to offer diploma and degree programs that will help the youths to get more skills that will enable them to compete with other countries in their different fields.
“there is this issue of congestion, Torit Technical is a very big compound with very many buildings, but you find out that it is so congested which means something has to be done, it has to be decongested. There is high need for upgrading mostly this center, we need to upgrade other than for us to keep on training people these short courses, they can have skills but they cannot compete with other people outside.”
Marko Locapio, State minister for Peace building in Eastern Equatoria says the training help keep the youths busy henceforth making them not to get involved in activities of cattle raiding that leads to loss of lives and conflict among citizens
The speakers made the remarks during the graduation ceremony at Torit Vocational Training Center on Wednesday.