Vocational trainings · Short courses
SkillUp Namibia
Short, practical courses for young people who are often left out of formal vocational training. In just one week you learn a hands-on craft skill, how to earn money with it, and your rights and voice as a citizen.
- Pilot project 2026
- 1-week courses
- Windhoek
Why SkillUp?
Many young Namibians leave school early. Without the required school grades, the doors of most vocational training centres stay closed to them. At the same time, there is real demand for simple building and repair services. SkillUp opens a door: low-threshold courses that lead quickly to work or self-employment, with a strong focus on giving young women and men equal chances.
What SkillUp offers
Every participant gets more than a skill.
Practical craft skills
One-week, hands-on courses in building and repair trades in our Windhoek workshops, built around what the local job market needs.
Entrepreneurship
How to find customers, price your work and run a small business with your new skill.
Civic education
Workshops on human rights, democracy and taking part in your community, with the Namibia Institute for Democracy.
Better trainers
Train-the-trainer workshops with vocational teachers from Berlin, including gender-sensitive teaching methods.
Our 1-week short courses
Five practical trades, each taught in one week at KAYEC Windhoek, with entrepreneurship included.
Plumbing
Fix taps, pipes and toilets, and do basic water installations in homes.
Fencing
Measure, set out and put up strong fences for homes, yards and gardens.
Door Fitting and Glazing
Hang doors, fit locks and hinges, and cut and install window glass.
Painting
Prepare walls, fill cracks, sand and paint neatly and safely, inside and outside.
Leatherworks
Cut, stitch and finish leather products such as belts, sandals and bags to sell.
What's been happening
Painting and door fitting trainings
31 young people from 10 regions, 45% of them women, completed hands-on courses in painting and in wood, glazing and door fitting. Every trainee who gave feedback would recommend the training, and 23 of 25 say their new skills can help them earn an income.
UNLEASH Hacks: from skills to opportunities
Over three days at KAYEC, SkillUp graduates (the "Talents") worked in teams to find real community problems, turn their new skills into business ideas, build prototypes and pitch them to a panel of judges. The winning team took home a toolbox for their trade. A second Hack followed at DAPP in Outapi. Featured in New Era, 4 November 2026.
SkillUp Namibia conference
At the Khomas Regional Council in Windhoek, partners, trainers and young people come together to share the results of the 2026 pilot and plan the way forward.
Who can join?
- Young women and men who did not finish school
- Youth with little formal education or from the informal sector, for example street vendors
- Anyone who wants a practical skill to start earning
Ask us about the next course and how to register.
For organisations
Does your community, company or organisation need practical skills training for a group? KAYEC designs short courses for outside organisations, in Windhoek or on location.
Contact us for a proposal: skillup@kayec.org.na
Our partners
SkillUp Namibia is a pilot project under the German Government and Federal States Programme (BLP), in cooperation with the GIZ programme Promotion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ProTVET) III. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the State of Berlin, Windhoek's twin city.
Supported by
- German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
- GIZ – ProTVET III and the BLP programme
- Vocational school teachers from Berlin
Partners in Namibia
- KAYEC – short courses in Windhoek
- DAPP Namibia – short courses in Outapi
- Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID) – civic education