Zimbabwe to re-establish National Youth Service Training

Zimbabwe’s government has said it will re-establish the National Youth Service Training Programme.

The announcement was made by the Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa as part of the press briefing after cabinet met on Tuesday.

“The programme is a key strategy for youth empowerment in national, regional, continental and international development guiding frameworks to which Zimbabwe is a member”, she said.

“The youth service is designed to equip youths, who comprise persons between the ages of 18 and 35 years with patriotism, discipline, volunteerism, survival skills, hard work, loyalty, tolerance, resilience, determination and honesty”, Mutsvangwa added.

“Under the revamped National Youth Service programme, Vocational Training Centres across all the provinces will focus on Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Skills Training. This will encompass enterprise awareness, opportunity identification, project financing, and basic farming,” Mutsvangwa continued.

“The roll out of the National Youth Service will involve community attachment of youths for work experience and service to various Government departments and local authorities. The programme will also take on board the disabled, and maintain gender balance & fair regional representation,” she concluded.

The service makes a return after first being established in the 2000s.

The proposal was made under the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, headed by Kirsty Coventry.