By Zephania Ubwani
Arusha — After
several delays the Kikuletwa Hydropower Training Centre will finally be
officially inaugurated on Friday, January17.
The facility in Hai District, Kilimanjaro Region will train artisans in electrical and hydropower engineering at Diploma level.
The project is a
brainchild of the Arusha Technical College (ATC) which has radically
expanded its training curricula to cover the critical sectors of the
economy.
"The inauguration
will be graced by the minister for Education, Science and Technology
Joyce Ndalichako", said Gasto Leseiyo, the college spokesperson.
The multi-billion
shilling centre initiated eight years ago has been realized through the
financial and technical support from Norway.
The Nordic country
granted 33.4 million Norwegian Kronor (about Sh. 8.3billion) for a host
of initial preparations critical for training of hydropower artisans.
The funds was spent
between July 2014 and December last year, for the feasibility studies,
curriculum development and capacity building for the trainers.
The Norwegian grant
also covered the preparation of the masterplan of the entire site where
plans are afoot to revive an old hydro power station.
According to Mr. Leseiyo, three year training at the hydropower technicians at the centre commenced way back in July 2017.
"They are trained
at Veta (Vocational Education Training Authority) level", he said,
noting that the trainees will work in hydropower stations and allied
installations.
The Kikuletwa facility will also be dedicated to research on renewable energy under the Sh. 37bn World Bank-supported programme
The 42 year old
autonomous college has been earmarked as a centre of excellence through
the East African Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration
Project (EASTRIP).
ATC is among the 16
proposed centres of excellence in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia selected
under which each country will get $ 50m, $ 90m and $150m respectively.
Two other local
institutions to benefit from the skills development project are the Dar
es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) and the National Institute of
Transport (NIT).
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