Duma assures students of jobs

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
GRADUATING students have been assured of employment after leaving school.
Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma told 600 students during the Grade 10 and Grade 12 graduation last Friday that due to an increase in mining activities in the country, many skilled workers were needed.
Duma told the students not to believe rumours that government was not doing enough to create jobs in the country.
He said the country needed many technical people such as engineers, welders, carpenters, mechanics, heavy equipment fitters and plumbers.
He said with the two liquefied natural gas projects – one at Gulf developed by InterOil and another in Southern Highlands developed by ExxonMobil – more technical people were needed to work there.
He said the government was doing its part by creating employment opportunities and it was up to the students to study hard and fit into the workforce.
He said the economy was gradually becoming stronger.
Duma said by 2014, when the first gas was expected to be exported, the national budget would be up to K25 billion for the seven million people.
He said the country would have plenty of money and people would see a lot of changes.
He told the graduating students that if they could not continue their education through the formal system, it didn’t mean that it was end of the world.
Duma said the informal education systems such as the college of distance education or universities open campus were always available in their province.
He said graduation marked the end of another chapter in their lives and that they had a long way to go.
He told the students that their education only stopped when they died.