Leather Institute of Zimbabwe ready for first leather training intake

THE Leather Institute of Zimbabwe (LIZ) says it is ready to open its first intake in January 2022 for national certificates and diplomas in leather production as well as higher national diploma programmes.

The Bulawayo-based institution is expected to play a critical role in skills development and buttressing the transformation of the leather sector, which has been identified as one of the key value chains under the National Development Strategy (NDS1:2021- 2022).Under this framework, LIZ would offer basic six months courses in leather
manufacturing, footwear production and leather goods.

LIZ president, Mr Cornelio Sunduza, said they have started receiving applications from prospective students seeking national certificates, diploma and higher diploma courses in leather technology, footwear and leather goods manufacturing as the core programmes.

“Those are LIZ core business as the institute was established to train the industry, providing skills and standardisation in terms of quality control, process control and management training,” he said.

“What we are basically doing is that we are trying to encourage the informal sector that there is life training in the leather sector, that all other activities you may want to engage or professions you may want, are found in the leather sector.”

For instance, for a shoe to be produced to the end, you will need leather tanners, cost accountants, bookkeepers, salespeople, purchasing and supply people as well as distribution people, warehousing clerks, corporate affairs people and engineers, among others.

LIZ has already announced a programme to mobilise at least US$700 000 required to set up a satellite leather design studio under the first phase to boost the production of highquality leather products. Through support from Comesa, the setting up of the studio is also expected to impact positively on the entire regional economy. Mr Sunduza said the design studio was coming as a project for three years to magnify the technology that is also found in other sectors
and countries.

“The design studio specifically is focusing on developing designers capable of producing brands that can be marketed internationally but which are produced locally,” he said.

“So, we are focusing on designing using computer assimilation instead of designing using manual systems.
“When a person designs using a computer, they can actually see the prototype finished, the quality, colour and everything and that will help in terms of our quality and also in terms of our competitiveness as a nation when we develop more designers or when we bring more thinkers of designers into the sector.”

This, Mr Sunduza said, will go a long way in developing the muscle of the country to compete with imports and thus boosting Zimbabwe’s market penetration and positioning.

The idea of a design studio was mooted sometime in 2015 and came into fruition in March 2020. With the approval of the Government, Comesa has confirmed LIZ as the focal point and host of the regional satellite design studio model.-The Chronicle