Relevance of TVET to Market Demands: Skills for Employability

Relevance of TVET to Market Demands: Skills for Employability TVET and Labour Market Demands

INTRODUCTION This paper • Looks at the relevance of TVET to labour market demands. • Presents the context of TVET in Tanzania, gives the role of TVET in supporting Tanzania’s economic growth and poverty reduction strategies. • Presents also the key issues affecting the provision of TVET and proposes the way forward. TVET and Labour Market Demands

Rationale for TVET in Tanzania Rationale includes: • Global Human Resource Development Agenda –TVET’s orientation towards the world of work – need to train for skilled workforce and gainful employment. • National stability: TVET reduces unemployment and poverty, creates sustainable livelihood thereby minimizing crimes, violence and other vices. • Employable skills accentuate productive capacity of the population through attaining job specific competences; • Raising economic growth and development: through application of relevant skills on jobs and increasing entrepreneurial activity. TVET and Labour Market Demands

Current Status of TVET in Tanzania TVET system has two subsystems: • Vocational Education and Training (VET) under VETA a statutory body established by Act No.1 of 1994 . • Technical Education and Training (TET) under NACTE a statutory body established by Act No. 9 of 1997. • Both VETA and NACTE are accountable to the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT). • TVET in Tanzania is delivered by public and non-public providers. • VET sub system has over 900 centres, 22 of which are owned by VETA the remaining by religious bodies, NGOs, and Private persons. • TET subsystem has 222 registered technical institutions. TVET and Labour Market Demands

Main Strengths of TVET • Recognition by National policies and strategies as a tool for economic growth and poverty reduction. • Presence of diverse set of providers – public and non-governmental; • Presence of overall coordinating regulatory bodies NACTE and VETA; • Incorporation of a variety of stakeholders including employers, professional bodies, workers organizations and the Government; • Adoption of the Competence Based Education and Training (CBET) approach providing a system of developing training according to labour market demands. TVET and Labour Market Demands

Main Weaknesses • Weak partnership between TVET institutions and employers to enhance training relevance. • Weak placement services for trainees and inadequate tracer studies to evaluate relevance of training offered. • Over-reliance of TVET on institutional based training neglecting the importance of work based learning. • Training delivery focuses on long courses neglecting short and tailor made courses to enhance productivity of the employed. • Low adaptation to the requirements of the informal sector e.g. shot term training and flexible training delivery. • Poor TVET training infrastructures, inadequate TVET teachers with industrial experience or training in CBET delivery. TVET and Labour Market Demands

National Policies and Strategies for TVET TVET policies need to be in line with overall development policies and the needs of the labour market. TVET is reflected in the various Government development strategies related to economic growth and poverty reduction. Policies from which TVET strategies are reflected include: • The 1995 Education and Training Policy (ETP); • The 2008 National Employment Policy (NEP); • The National Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Policy; • The National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (MKUKUTA); • The Education Sector Development Programme; • Student Support and Development; TVET and Labour Market Demands

Problems Leading to 1994 VET Act Problems of first VET Act of 1974 were: Training centres operated in isolation from industry following privatisation of parastatals; National Vocational Training Council had no power of system development; Problems of centralised VET management to training system and inadequate financing. TVET and Labour Market Demands

1994 VET Act The 1994 Vocational Education and Training Act was established to: Provide the creation of Vocational Education and Training Board for overall implementation of the VET system; Provide for the establishment of VETA to assume day to day operational responsibility for implementation; TVET and Labour Market Demands

VET Act contd. Provide the establishment of VET Fund to support training system; Provide for a decentralised implementation authority to regions to optimise utilisation of resources for training; Provide for a demand driven training system meeting labour market demands. TVET and Labour Market Demands

Envisaged Changes under 1994 Act TVET and Labour Market Demands

Major Achievements Implementation of the 1994 Act based on Strategic Development Plans; First plan: establishment of institutional arrangements including training Boards and Committees; Second plan: developing demand driven framework by linking market information to curricula development; TVET and Labour Market Demands

Achievements Contd. Current plan (2007-2011) quality improvement of CBET implementation : Increasing percentage of girls participating in VET from 20% to 45%; Increasing the number of VETA owned centres from 14 to 22; Raising enrolments , including non government providers from 20,000 to 130,000 per year. TVET and Labour Market Demands

Problems Leading to NACTE Act Lack of coordination of Tertiary Technical Education and Training Lack of uniformity in standards and consistent pattern of awards; Lack of nationally recognised and transferable set of Qualifications; Lack of standard pattern of registration and accreditation; Duplication and under utilisation of resources . TVET and Labour Market Demands

1997 NACTE Act The statutory Obligations of NACTE Act No. 9 of 1997 includes the following: • To ensure overall coordination of technical education and training; • To bring order to the pattern of qualifications offered by non- university institutions by establishing a national system of awards; • To ensure the relevance of technical education and training to labour market demands; • To register and accredit both public and private technical institutions capable of delivering courses; • To register technical teachers and other qualified technicians; TVET and Labour Market Demands

Major Achievements Coordination of technical education and training through 5 Subject Boards; Establishment of a National System of Awards (National Technical Awards); Registered 222 technical institutions and accredited 91 of them by June 2010; Validated competence based curricula for about 200 programmes by June 2010. Registered 1,740 technical teachers by June 2010. TVET and Labour Market Demands

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CBET AND KBET TVET and Labour Market Demands

National Technical Awards • NACTE awardsare known as National Technical Awards (NTA) and adopt a Competence-based (CBET) modular system. • The NTAare designed to testify that the holder of the award is able to apply competently the knowledge and skills described in the relevant occupational sector. • The NTA system has seven levels linked to a three level system of VETA, known as National Vocational Awards (NVA), to provide aframework of Technical and Vocational (TVET) qualifications. • Each NVA and NTA qualification has a broad competence level descriptor. TVET and Labour Market Demands

TVET Qualifications Framework TVET and Labour Market Demands

Competence Level Descriptors TVET and Labour Market Demands

Higher Awards TVET and Labour Market Demands

General Challenges Facing TVET • Some programmes are not adopted to the changing needs of the labour market; • Inadequate qualifications for teaching staff in TVET institutions; • Minimal imparting of Teaching Methodology to TVET staff; • Inadequate funds for TVET programmes; • Weak Learning Progression Pathway especially for VET graduates; • Inadequate training infrastructure and facilities; • Inadequate publicity of TVET and its importance to the general public, parents and other potential sponsors; • Poor linkages between TVET training institutions, the industry and other employers. TVET and Labour Market Demands

Main Achievements • Increase in enrolments in TVET programmes although it still falls short of national requirements; • Increased application of Competence based education and training in tertiary and vocational training institutions; • Smoother progression of VET graduates under TVET system eg. Some RVTSCs approved to offer NTA programmes; • Improving human, physical and financial resources for sustainable provision of training under TVET system; • Increasing capability to design and develop training programmes by institutions; . TVET and Labour Market Demands

The Way Forward • TVET curricula should be linked by harmonising skills and knowledge imparted at each level of the TVET system (from primary school to tertiary); • Strengthen and harmonize national labour market information systems; • Institutionalize tracer studies in TVET institutions; • ‘Build the capacity of TVET teachers and modernise and increase training facilities; • Diversify modes of TVET provision, including tailor-made short courses, work based learning, integrated technology teaching and learning, field/industry training. • Strengthen linkage with industry, professional bodies and the general public. TVET and Labour Market Demands

Despite financial limitations, TVET system has realised tremendous achievements and contributed significantly to economic growth and poverty reduction as per national goals. The TVET authorities are thankful to the Government and all stakeholders for their support. Thank you TVET and Labour Market Demands

Relevance of TVET to Market Demands: Skills for Employability