New equipment for Sinyanga Vocational Training Centre students to utilize | Courtesy Dustin Ruth, CNC

It’s been two years since the College of New Caledonia began working with the Shinyanga Vocational Training Centre in Tanzania.

A new Heavy Duty Mechanic program has officially launched in the African country and CNC’s contribution was two-fold.

“Originally when we assessed it, they didn’t have any multimedia way of teaching students, so that’s the smartboards or the TVs or projectors so we supplied all that material,” explains CNC Heavy Mechanical Trades Coordinator Craig Hull.

“The second half is training aids which are pieces of machines that they now have so they can work on those pieces.”

The firsthand experience is something mining and construction companies in Tanzania are ecstatic about, according to Program Manager Romana Pasca.

“We had employers engaged in that and they were very happy to see that they will be able to look at the graduates and maybe hire them in their mining company which was a big problem there.”

Pasca says prior to this launch, employers would have to look outside the country for workers but now they will be able to pull students from the learning centre with their firsthand experience.