It is clear that Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions are places where qualified workforces are trained and supplied to the job market. The institutions have been contributing greatly in equipping young people and adults with the knowledge, skills, and competencies toward an improved quality of life.
Due to this, attention to TVET is increasing worldwide for it can increase the productivity and income of the poor, enhance employment for citizens, and facilitate transfer to new occupations for those currently employed.
According to Entoto Polytechnic College Head Mulu Atsbiha, skilled workforce is fundamental in delivering quality services, ensuring quality of productivity and transforming the manufacturing sector. The College is working in line with nation’s strategy in a manner to advance the sector.
“The College has 11 departments and 32 fields and over 4,086 trainees. To ensure quality, we are working with pertinent stakes. Currently, 75 percent of the College occupational trainees are qualified for the standard and effort is underway to reach it 100 percent.”
As to her, the College is offering training through Dual Training System (DTS) – a mode of training delivery which combines theoretical and practical training. It is called “dual” because the training happens in two venues – the school and the company. Furthermore, it is exerting efforts to ensure quality trainings in all areas.
It organizes trainings for trainers to capacitate them with the required knowledge and skills, after identifying the gaps. “In my view, TVETs are the sole source of skilled human power, and, the College is supplying skilled workforce to industry parks built across the country and others sectors,” she noted.
General Winget Poly Technique College Head Meles Yimer for his part said that the College has 12 programs and 43 fields. It also has over five thousand students in regular and evening basis. “As part of the program, we attach DTS and mange it in line with time frame and the skill development of each trainees.” Apart from pubic and privates training companies, the college works in collaboration with 158 model SMEs to ensure cooperative training.
The College is becoming one of the satellite colleges and is teaching students in construction sector at first degree level. And it is working to be the hub technology.
At present, trainees from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Djibouti are coming to the College to attend courses provided by it. The efforts made to ensure quality are also bearing fruits.
As Ethiopia is the host of the largest domestic market and the largest economy in East Africa, working on to produce skilled force rewards. And various technical and vocational collages in the State are working towards this objective, according to Federal TVET Agency Communication Director, Abera Abate.
TVET has demonstrated significant expansion in the Ethiopian education sector over the last decade. The reform made in 2008 envisaged that it would transform TVET delivery from input-oriented to an outcome based one, he added.
As to him, producing skill human capital is a prerequisite for employment and productivity at work. In light of this, the Ethiopian Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) bestowed a key role to the education sector for accelerating economic growth, achieving developmental goals and becoming a middle-income country by 2025. While the country has made great progress in quantitative expansion of tertiary education, quality and relevance are still lagging behind, negatively affecting the chances of fresh graduates to find decent employment. As the country is positioning itself as an emerging economic power and pioneer in the field of industrialization in sub Saharan African, supplying skilled work force is vital. “To address the gaps the Agency is working with various pertinent stakes of states and development partners across the board.”
For instance, under Sustainable Training and Education Program (STEP) the Ethio-German STEP is engaged in improving the employment prospects of young trainees as well by promoting the quality and relevance in vocational training.
The Program is running in forging strong linkages between the education systems and supports selected industrial sectors by supplying skilled workforce to accelerate the economic transformation. In turn, encouraging results are witnessed, the Director General remarked.
The Ethiopian Herald February 27, 2019
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
