
Needless state, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is crucial for both social progress and human development as it enhances individual capabilities, promotes employment, and contributes to economic growth, ultimately fostering more equitable and prosperous societies in an affluent nation. That is why it is recurrently heralded that TVET plays a vital role in empowering individuals to achieve economic stability and improve their quality of life thereby contributing a lot to the comprehensive growth and prosperity of a given nation.
Cognizant of this fact, had a stay with Muluken Taddese, who graduated from Addis Ababa University in Educational Planning and Management, to solicit a piece of information regarding TVET and its significance for social development and job creation.
He said, “TVET equips individuals with the skills and knowledge needed for productive employment and entrepreneurship, enabling them to earn a decent living and improve their social standing. By increasing productivity and innovation, the stream drives economic growth and helps create a more competitive and vibrant economy. Besides, TVET can play a role in addressing social inequalities by providing access to education and training for marginalized groups, helping them to overcome barriers and achieve their full potential.”
As to him, TVET contributes to overall human development by enhancing individuals’ capabilities, fostering their creativity, and enabling them to participate more fully in society. It can also contribute to sustainable development by promoting green skills and technologies, and by equipping individuals with the skills needed to address climate change and other environmental challenges.
The program can include vocational training in areas like agriculture, construction, technology, and healthcare, preparing individuals for a wide range of careers.
TVET is particularly important for promoting economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving human development indicators in developing nations like ours, he added.
He further stated that TVET is a powerful tool for driving social progress and human development. Yes, he stated by investing in quality TVET programs, societies can empower individuals, create economic opportunities, and build more just and equitable societies.
“TVET and human development in developing nations such as Ethiopia can support basic education, life skills and enables achievement of high education standards, leadership, and preparation for industry-defined work and advanced continuing education. TVET can assist individuals become self-reliant, creative, flexible, desire for achievement, ambition, trustworthy, reliable and agent of positive, capable of contributing to national growth and development.”
The TVET has been deeply rooted to the agendas of nature of work related to the transformation of society. The ethos of technical and vocational education has been mainly rooted to the complex nature of work with the changing nature of industries. The job market has been shaped by the economic status of people to use innovative ways of doing work to enhance the age of mass consumption.
There are many social-and economic- impacts that are underrated when implementing and evaluating programs in these areas. Quality of TVET is referred to by the extent people in vulnerable areas can make the best out of it in terms of promoting their productive capacities and improving their socio-economic conditions /quality of life.
As to him, in underprivileged sectors, concepts such as work and employability have connotations of their own. While the formal labor market formulates specific demands to the educational system, in the informal sector, work is very much more linked to everyday living conditions of people in this sector.
Yes, he said TVET is more closely aligned with productive activities –sometimes survival strategies- or with those which are doable and result from the nature of their contexts, than to the need to train in order to satisfy the demand of a formal market or respond to the exigencies of technological development as dictated by modernity.
Another scholar whom this writer approached for comment is Meseret Andargachew, who graduated from Arba-Minch University in Sociology and Social Anthropology. She said, “What and why do we wait for if we already have a considerable amount of evidence showing that when appropriately high-quality skills development programs are implemented in vulnerable areas, they can have a positive impact on people’s educational progress, and also on the socio-economic development of their communities.”
There is a need to have an on-the-job focus and respond to the specific training needs that follow from the various problems associated with these modest business undertakings i.e low-income women looking for organizational and financial assistance, she added.
According to Meseret, all this requires moving beyond work market demands and giving greater attention to people’s needs in the small communities and local areas. There is an urgent need to have an effective pro-poor TVET policy with a special focus on addressing people’s economic needs and productive activities in vulnerable areas. “We have already known how to do it. What and why are we waiting for? Taken together, investments in TVET and skills development serve a wide range of economic and social objectives with high expectations placed on the expected results.”
Human development and are inclusion more likely to be seen as secondary outcomes rather than key objectives of investments in TVET and skills.
“TVET and skills systems are complex and encapsulate a wide range of services, programs, modalities, beneficiaries and country contexts. Development partners should continue to build the business case for investment to account for emerging priorities and draw on the growing body of evidence that investments in TVET and skills can deliver a range of economic and social returns.”
In the context of rapidly changing labor markets and evolving skills needs due to globalization, technological progress, demographic transformation, and climate change, the need for well-performing TVET is even greater to ensure smooth job transitions, she said.
Effective skills and lifelong learning systems are crucial components for tackling these challenges and advancing social justice. They also empower individuals to aspire to better jobs, better pay, and better lives. Therefore, they are key enablers of human development and decent work for all, said Meseret.
She also indicated that through TVET people can equip the youth with the skills and knowledge they need not only to excel in today’s job markets, but also to be able to capitalize on technological breakthroughs and stay one step ahead in a rapidly changing world.
Critically, TVET is commonly considered a second-tier educational track to which challenged learners are directed. This can discourage potential students from enrolling or firms from hiring TVET graduates. Such dismay has to be well ridged.
“True, mobilizing private financing can infuse additional resources into TVET, often needed given that countries like Ethiopia need to harvest outcomes out of the sector. Strong TVET systems can help countries meet the Sustainable Development Goals by sustainably and efficiently supporting employment and productivity.”
Generally, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has been playing an invaluable role in social development by equipping individuals with the skills needed for employment, promoting economic growth, and fostering social cohesion. Since the sector aims at creating a more skilled and self-reliant workforce, which can contribute to poverty reduction and improve overall living standards, Ethiopia should attach due emphasis to it than ever before.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 12 JUNE 2025