By Getachew Mamo
Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians join technical and Vocational Education and Training every year. Therefore, developing the sector will be key to the socio-economic transformation of the country given that TVET Institutes produce skilled manpower for the labour market. To achieve this, there should be a fruitful and sustainable linkage between the institutes and industries.
The East African Skills Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP) is working to modernize the TVET sector in Ethiopia by upgrading the cooperation between industries and TVET Institutes.
The Technical and Vocational Training Institute (TVTI) (formerly Federal TVET institute) with support from EASTRIP conducted capacity building training for TVET teachers, Leaders and Industry Technicians. It is mainly aimed to strengthen the quality TVET structure.
During the first round, the training was given to 226 TVET teachers, Leaders and Industry Technicians and some technological courses on Manufacturing (Like welding, CNC and Lathe Machine) The training focused on TVET Leadership and Management, Teaching Methodology, value chain analysis, research Ethiopian TVET policy and Strategy, Testing, Solid Works.
In addition, the centre of excellence developed, demand-driven short-term programs which were accredited and endorsed by senate. The process of developing curricula included active participation of industries such as EEG and ELICO which have signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with TVTI).
The writer is a TVET Specialist at TVTI