Mozambique: IFPELAC highlights importance of English skills in labour market

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Mozambique: IFPELAC highlights importance of English skills in labour market

9:28 CAT | 24 Jan 2022

Photo: O País

To meet the demands of the sector, potential candidates for jobs in mega-projects must urgently master the English language, the Alberto Cassimo Institute for Professional Training and Labour Studies says.

The discovery of natural resources in the Rovuma Basin has generated a multitude of opportunities for national companies, and also new job opportunities. The prospects for the future are encouraging. The start of exploration of liquefied natural gas in the Rovuma Basin is expected to generate an initial US$34.5 million in revenue for the state, and, when peak revenue is reached, more than US$110 million annually.

But these high expectations are also accompanied by doubts. One of them has to do with deficiencies in the skills of job seekers in mega-projects.

Edmilson Muhate is 19 years old, and completing his final year of Industrial Mechanics at the Industrial and Commercial Institute of Maputo. He dreams of working in large companies. “I am studying a lot. Studying, studying and studying is the secret. This is the only way we can achieve our goals,” he says.

But with little command of English, Edmilson is aware of the relevance of language for what he intends to do. “The machines we use in practical classes are in English; a lot of the literature from my training is in English; even the usual language of the pieces is almost all in English. So this language is an opportunity to reach great heights,” he said.

Like Edmilson, Lírio António aspires to great things. A student on the Industrial Maintenance Electricity course at the Alberto Cassimo Institute for Vocational Training and Labor Studies in Maputo, he has already set his goals. “I always dreamed of working in big companies. Today, we talk only about the gas exploration project in the Rovuma Basin; it would be a dream come true to work there.”

“Lack of English skills constitutes a barrier to training” – IFPELAC

Teaching various courses relevant to the mega-projects, IFPELAC management says it is working to ensure its international certification complies with the criteria required by large projects. At the moment, only the Pemba centre is so certified, but that’s not all, says spokesman Victorino Banze.

“We are aware that English is really important. Lack of English skills is a barrier to the training process, but it is also a major barrier to accessing employment,” Banze says, going on to mention that IFPELAC encourages its students to use digital platforms to learn English.

“Nowadays, students have mastery of [IT] technologies, so they are in a position to learn English in this way. Independently, they can learn a lot more about their areas of training,” he says.

It is estimated that the imminent arrival of the floating LNG production platform in the Rovuma Basin, for example, will generate employment for 800 people, some directly linked to production, and others based in offices in Pemba and Maputo.

By Raul Massingue

Source: O País