As unemployment among youths continues to pose a major challenge in the country, students have been encouraged to utilise the skills and knowledge gained from various universities and colleges as a way of addressing the problem.

The call was made on Friday during a graduation ceremony for about 200 students from Luso Technical College, held at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe.

Speaking to Zodiak Online, Member of Parliament for Mlodza Constituency, Ulemu Msungama, who was also the guest of honour, said the time has come for graduating students to create their own employment opportunities by applying the vocational skills they have acquired in different fields. He added that such initiatives would help align with the Malawi 2063 vision.

“We must admit that unemployment among youths is a big problem which needs to be addressed as soon as possible, and this can only happen if the youths themselves take the initiative to create employment opportunities among themselves. This will also help us align with the Malawi 2063 vision,” he said.

In his remarks, Luso Technical College Programs Coordinator Isaac Mwale said the institution is proud to have contributed to the country’s development, highlighting some achievements made since its establishment. He further disclosed that the school is planning to introduce new courses.

“As an institution, we are happy to see our graduating students making strides out there. For example, we have students from our Hotel and Management programme who are now working at Sunbird Livingstonia in Salima—this is one of our biggest milestones,” he said. “We are also planning to introduce new courses, including Journalism, which is now one of the most in-demand fields among youths.”

One of the graduating students, Asimenye Nyirongo, an ICT student, said the skills she has gained will help her start a small-scale business.

Established in 2017, Luso Technical College offers various courses, including ICT, Hotel Management, and Welding, among others. Notable attendees at the event included Dorothy Kingston, President of the Film Association of Malawi (FAMA). The institution also recognised its best-performing employees, who each received K500,000 as a motivation package.

(By Idah Mwambazi)