Not put down by failure

Growing up, he wanted to become a radio presenter but life had different plans for him. This week, the man who has succeeded in setting up a vocational training centre narrates how he cast his dreams of becoming a radio DJ to pursue a career in skills training with success. Boasting of three campuses trading as Ngato Vocational Training Centre, Fernando Kaushiwetu John is affectionately known as Ngato. He was born in Uvhungu-vungu in 1981, in the Kavango East region. Ngato is making significant contribution towards youth empowerment in Namibia with skills training. He attended primary school in his home village and later moved to Rundu were he did his secondary education. Unfortunately, he did not do well in his Grade 10 getting 22 points.The story is usually similar for most dropouts but for Ngato, his story turned out to be different in so many ways. After failing Grade 10, he enrolled at the Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) where he sought to upgrade but this was short-lived because he had to commute daily from his village outside Rundu to attend classes in the afternoon. He then quit Namcol and got a job at Pep Stores as a sales distributor where he used to distribute flyers earning a paltry N$20 per day. “As a child I wanted to become a radio presenter on NBC, so distributing flyers and convincing people to come and buy was not difficult for me,” he remembers fondly. It only took him two weeks to get promoted and he became responsible for shoes department in the store and a position he held until 2004. In the same year, he resigned and started a cleaning services company with a group of friends who shared the same goals and visions with him. One of them was Zuzu Elias, who is also doing well and owns a construction company.What is also fascinating about Ngato’s story is the way he acquired his skills. He gained his skills by doing voluntary work at companies that specialised in welding and plumbing. He never really thought of it as working for free because in the end he acquired the skills that have put him where he is today. Ngato also did a short course in plumbing and electrical engineering at a college in South Africa.After completing the short course, he put his skills and training acquired through this course into practice by doing small construction jobs. It is during this time that he worked on some projects that he is very proud of. These include manufacturing the gate for the University of Namibia Rundu campus and the gate of Rundu Senior Secondary School, “those are my works” Ngato prided. His passion to uplift the youth is evidenced by his initiative to help to train students at the Rundu Vocational Training Centre (RVTC) and the FD Youth Centre in numerous vocational competencies. Although he was happy with his contribution, there was still a lot he could do for the youth. “On 22 October 2012, and I remember this day vividly, I started putting ideas together on how I could start my own vocational school,” he narrated his success story. He said he did not quite know how to go about doing this, and he was not sure whether he was eligible to open a vocational college. Ngato approached the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, the NTA and the Namibian Qualifications Authority (NQA) to get the requirements. In 2012, he met his business partner Shitembi Christopher who shared the same goals and vision with him. Today, Shitembi is the human resource manager of the vocational colleges. Ngato’s dream to own a vocational training centre became a reality the following year aligning the stars in his universe to his dream and Ngato Vocational Training Centre (NVTC) opened its doors on 24 February 2013 with an intake of 137 students in various trades. It became the first ever private vocational school in Rundu and the second vocational training centre in the Kavango regions. Today, he owns three campuses at Kapako in the Kavango West region, Rundu and Mupini. Ngato believes that people must not wait for the government to provide them with everything saying they must try to meet the government halfway. For all this hard work and success, Ngato never received any donations and support from any charitable organisation. His motivation to establish a vocational college stems from the realisation that many youth in Namibia need vocational training in numerous trades. According to Ngato, it was not easy, setting up the colleges of that magnitude but it was his passion that made it possible. “I was fortunate enough to be supported by my mom and siblings and the people who enrolled to study or who enrolled their their children at Ngato Vocational Training Centre because they trusted my initiative.” Another reason that prompted him to venture into this industry is the importance he attaches to vocational training. “I believe without vocational training life would be difficult, because we would not have portable water without plumbers, we would not have strong houses if we did not train people to become welders, so it is this realisation that drove me to start this institution,” he reminisced. With all he has achieved, Ngato still feels there is still a lot he can accomplish. He said he still has numerous projects in the pipeline. His wish is to see more youngsters enrolling in vocational schools. “It does not matter which vocational training centre they enrol because we all offer the same skills training,” Ngato maintains. Ngato is calling on Namibian youth to take their education seriously and shun becoming drop outs. In the meantime, his prime focus is to nurture his graduates and will strive to provide quality serviceBy MICHAEL KAYUNDE

Not put down by failure

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-08

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Not put down by failure

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-08

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