East African states to harmonize vocational training curriculum
Three east African countries plan to harmonize curriculum for technical, vocational education and training (TVET), an official said on Wednesday.
Mike Kuria, deputy executive secretary of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), said the harmonization will ensure that youth in the region have access to high-quality TVET programs.
"The process will facilitate mutual recognition of qualifications which are critical for the mobility of skilled labor within the eastern Africa region," Kuria said at a forum in Nairobi attended by TVET officials from Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
He said the process will equip trainees with the right skills that can enable them to secure employment in the region.
"We plan to link trainees with the industry to foster good working relationships and further the country agendas," said Kuria.
He said that once ratified, the countries will then start developing a policy and guidelines to facilitate faculty mobility and industrial partnership.
James Jowi, principal education officer at the East African Community (EAC) said the process that is the seventh one in the bloc is expected to increase employment opportunities within the region.
Jowi said that EAC members have harmonized early childhood, primary, secondary, teacher's, adult and special needs education curriculums.
Tom Mulati, director, directorate of TVET in Kenya's state department of vocational and technical training in the ministry of education said that countries in the region have witnessed increased demand for technical and vocational skills as means for technology transfer and upgrading skills of workers.
He said that the project is to increase access and improve the quality of TVET programs in selected regional TVET centers of excellence.
"We are targeting regional priorities in transport, energy, manufacturing, bleu economy and information, communication and technology," said Mulati.
He said the project will culminate in empowering trainees from TVET institutions with technical and entrepreneurship skills that could lead to self-employment, job creation, produce competent graduates who are ready for the market upon graduation.
"We expect that trainees will facilitate the achievement of regional development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," said Mulati. (Xinhua)
