PARENTS, students, innovators and community members from across Matabeleland South province gathered at Pangani Vocational Training Centre recently for the Provincial Skills Fair Competitions, where participants showcased innovation, technical skills, smart agriculture, creativity, arts and entrepreneurship.
The exhibition, organised by the Skills Audit and Development ministry, attracted schools, vocational trainees and rural communities, with parents attending to witness the innovative projects developed by young people.
Among the outstanding displays were those of two students from Filabusi, who developed a rust-detecting device that identify corrosion on mining machinery before it becomes a major problem.
The invention uses a bulb and thermostat system to detect and measure rust levels, helping to prevent costly breakdowns and improve safety in mining operations.
The students appealed for government and private sector support to help transform the prototype to a full-fledged product.
Another innovation that drew attention at the exhibition was a smart robotic health monitoring system called Pulsera, designed by learners from Minda High School.
Nyasha Tsvoto, one of the students, said: “Pulsera does two main things: it monitors the patient’s health condition and the patient’s environment.”
The system uses sensors to monitor room temperature and smoke while automatically notifying healthcare workers through a mobile application whenever danger is detected.
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Explaining the inspiration behind the innovation, the learners said they observed serious challenges in Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector.
“We noticed that many hospitals in Zimbabwe, especially in rural areas, are either understaffed or overwhelmed,” they said.
“This makes it difficult to monitor every patient effectively. That is why we designed Pulsera.”
The learners also appealed for sponsorship to help turn the project into a fully operational healthcare gadget.
Speaking during the exhibition, Skills Audit and Development ministry chief director Clifford Matorera praised the creativity and innovation displayed at the fair.
“This shows that if we continuously do this, we are likely going to motivate a lot of children, young boys and girls, to be creative and innovative,” he said.
Matorera said innovation was critical for national development, adding: “There’s no development without innovation.
“We can’t develop without creating new ideas and new methods of doing work.”
He said the competitions were important in mobilising communities to actively participate in national development.
“These exhibition fairs are very important and critical in the sense that we are trying to mobilise the community to be part and parcel of the great agenda of building the nation.”
The competitions provide a platform for communities, schools and innovators to exchange ideas and showcase practical solutions aimed at improving lives and driving economic development.
