THE government has urged colleges and universities in the country to focus more on offering practical skills to students than imparting theories.

That will significantly help them to produce quality graduates who will meet the market demand, said the government.

The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disability), Prof Joyce Ndalichako, made the call during the 57th graduation ceremony held at the College of Business Education (CBE), where 1,065 graduands were awarded certificates after successfully completed different courses.

Prof Ndalichako said there is a widespread outcry from employers that many graduates are half cooked and they fail to meet the expectations of the employers, when they get employment.

"This is a big setback that can be resolved through various means including imparting more practical skills to our students," insisted the minister.

Prof Ndalichako commended CBE for introducing an apprenticeship programme, where a student uses 50 per cent of his/her time in class and another 50 per cent to the employer, the situation she said, make the students to be competent after their graduation.

She also commended the college for introducing another programme of incubation, which she said, gives a chance to youth to show their talents.

The minister mentioned other universities which have the same programme as University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Mzumbe University and Sokoine University of Agriculture.

Minister Ndalichako said the government provides apprenticeship programmes to ensure that graduates attain required skills.

She said in the financial year 2021/2022, the government spent 9bn/- for an apprenticeship programme to 62,000 students and will use another 9bn/- this financial year for the same purpose.

On his side, College Rector, Professor Emmanuel Mjema said CBE has acquired land in Zanzibar and they expect to start the construction of the new campus soon.

He said the college sponsors its academics to pursue further studies at different levels including masters and PhDs, to ensure they have enough lectures to accommodate the influx of students, adding that currently, they have 36 PhDs lectures and 46 are still in their PhD studies.