The Mpumalanga MEC for public works, roads and transport, Mohita Latchminarain, officially opened a new skills development and training workshop in KwaMhlanga on Monday June 13.

She was joined by governmental officials and the management of Strait Agri Solutions, who worked hand in hand with the department to develop the academy.

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Latchminarain said the primary purpose of the training academy is to provide skills that will enable people, predominantly youth in the province, to access skills that will allow them to participate in the mainstream economy.

“The project is a long-term programme aligned with Vision 2030, which has the primary objective of creating sustainable jobs and reducing unemployment, alleviating poverty and inequality through skills development,” she said.

She also highlighted that the academy will need to acquire funding from various stakeholders to enable the training of groups of 36 learners for courses like welding, plumbing and electrical engineering quarterly.

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The academy will also diversify its operations to cater for learnerships, apprenticeships and candidacy programmes. In the long term, it will have courses in heavy machine operations, diesel mechanics, panel beating and road construction.