Paulo Mavie, a story of professional and business growth through technical training

At the age of 17, Paulo started working as an assistant locksmith in the workshop of Mr. Cossa, his neighbour, where he stayed for a year. When his uncle, a former employee of a welding company in South Africa, returned to Mozambique, Paulo started working with his uncle.

According to Paulo, it was a great opportunity, he learnt how to do refined and large welding at Vale de Moçambique in Tete, he did metal structure welding at Mozal, he did tack and pipe welding at Sasol in Inhambane, etc. After some time, Paulo wanted to start working for himself and increase his income.

In 2017, he become self-employed but he began to struggle due to the lack of a certificate that would identify him as a professional. This led him to enrol in the technical courses launched by IFPLAC in partnership with Swisscontact.

With training and acquisition of a certificate, his professional life changed: he managed to provide services to institutions such as SG Construções and CDGI as well as to private clients. With his earnings, he purchased tools and opened his workshop in the Muhalaze area where he employs three people. Paulo currently works in the company Teixeira Dias in the area of maintenance and in his workshop on weekends. Thanks to this work, he increased his income and improved the living conditions of his family.

At the moment, he is in the process of formalising his company to establish it on the national market, expanding its services and gaining more business.

This project is financed by the Medicor Foundation, Happel Foundation, and U.W. Linsi-Stiftung, among other donors. It is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.