Malawi will officially launch the Global Apprenticeship Network (Gan) on Friday this week with President Peter Mutharika expected to attend the event as Guest of Honour.
The launch is planned for Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre. Assistant Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Aeneas Chuma, is also expected to attend the event.
Last year, Malawi made history when it became the first country in Africa to launch the Gan Network in Africa.
Gan is a coalition of leading companies committed to end youth unemployment and skills mismatch by investing in work-based training. So far, nine companies have joined the network including Maldeco Fisheries, Chibuku Products Limited and Stansfield Motors.
The Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (Ecam) is the local representative of the Gan network in the country.
Towards the establishment of the network, Ecam consulted with various stakeholders including government, the Technical Entrepreneurial, Vocational Educational and Training Authority, the private sector and trade unions to put in place a platform that can contribute to the fight to end youth unemployment and promote business skills for them.
Among others, Ecam is lobbying for infrastructural development targeting technical colleges, a sector it has identified as being key to addressing unemployment levels.
The National Statistical Office last reported unemployment at 21 percent.
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