The Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) Scheme

The Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) Scheme

The entry phase (the first 3 months) concentrates on soft skills through enrichment programmes. These shall entail elements of counselling, essential personal relations and professional training and skills development. The aim is to ultimately affect certain critical areas of national need such as public sector service delivery. In the overall transformation agenda, government’s strategy ultimately is to support growth and capacity of the private sector to provide jobs for all. In the short term, however, the focus is to provide temporary jobs for graduates within public sector institutions to stimulate productivity, efficiency and the promotion of mentorship and foundational skills required for future permanent employment. The initial focus of the initiative will be directed at improving public service delivery in health, education, agriculture, revenue mobilization and collection, as well as in the application of technology to tackle critical issues within major government programmes and initiatives.

In the build up to its twilight year (exit phase in year 3), an entrepreneurship, business development and exposure to the requirements of private industry would be the focus of the NABCO scheme. This final enrichment entails strategic partnerships with industry and private businesses and funds to allow ease of transitioning into regular and permanent employment. It is recommended that government supports the NABCO in this phase with some incentives to make fellows of the scheme attractive and a widely sought after group by the private sector. For instance, private enterprises could be signed on to the NABCO in a partnership that offers ultimately permanent work placements and jobs for exiting NABCO fellows. Similarly, a modulecredit scheme could work with partner skills training institutions (e.g. COTVET) to design an exit certification award that becomes recognized as a pathway to further learning and also employment.