The Omaheke Innovation Village (The O-SPACE) on Wednesday commenced a three-day business pitching training for twenty-three Technical and Vocational Education and Training students who applied for the incubation programme. The business pitching training aims to bring together all 23 shortlisted applicants for the vocational market programme. They will receive basic knowledge, tips, and skills on how to professionally pitch their business ideas and will be guided to their official pitching day, where they will present to a selection jury for a chance to be in the final selection. The O-SPACE Vocational Market programme will then support the incubators to become or upscale into fully trading entrepreneurs. According to Brenda Tjijombo, a board member of the O-Space Vocational Market, the selection of the seven graduates will be based on various aspects such as good innovative business ideas and leadership traits. 'We are a non-governmental organisation that focuses on socio-economic programmes like combating youth unemployment and economic emancipation. We aim to support our technical and vocational education and training sector by meeting the government halfway; we aim to nurture employers rather than employees with this programme,' she said. 'With these mentorship programmes, we are equipping those seven graduates with the necessary skills and tools. This programme runs parallel with other programmes at the village aimed at mitigating social issues such as malnutrition and safeguarding food security in the region,' she added. Tjijombo further stated that if this programme succeeds, they dream of extending it to the rest of the country to benefit more young people. This training is fully funded by the Social Security Commission of Namibia, represented by Chris Tjijahura, who noted that the commission has allocated N.dollars 350 000 for this programme, translating to each graduate receiving N.dollars 50 000 at the end of the incubation period. During the first six months, the incubators will be equipped with various entrepreneurial skills, while in the last six months of the training, they will begin producing and selling their products and providing services to the people of the Omaheke region. Source: The Namibia Press Agency