Boost impact of vocational training

Within each trade, there is a wide range of skills a trainee could learn. For example, in carpentry, it includes knowledge of different types of wood and other materials, knowledge of and safe use of hand tools and power tools, precise measuring and cutting, designing and constructing furniture, installing doors, windows and cabinets, etc. As to which skills to focus on, it should be determined by the local market where trainees expect to work. However, the broader the skill set, the better in providing greater potential for employment.

It is critical to integrate technology into vocational training programmes to prepare trainees for the ever-changing requirements in the job market. Trainees should have basic computer skills that, at the very least, enable them to find useful information related to their work.

In addition, vocational training schools should collaborate with different businesses, factories, and self-employed individuals to provide mentorship and experiential learning to the trainees. Schools should develop networks of companies and individuals who would provide students practical experience, from the time they start their training until they graduate. This system should be built into the admission process.

Although some schools have students do field work, having practical training built into the programme throughout the academic calendar allows students to discuss and incorporate what they learn in the real world on an ongoing basis. A student could be linked to a local tradesperson in the community who is self-employed.

Vocational training is often being presented as a sure path to self-employment. The reality is that there are many people out there who have been trained as plumbers, electricians, or carpenters, etc., who are neither employed nor self-employed. And it is not for a lack of trying. Most end up just doing petty jobs. A trade skill in itself is not sufficient to make people self-employed. They need entrepreneurial skills. It is imperative that vocational training programmes include courses on entrepreneurship. Students should learn about business and economic concepts and principles, managing finances, keeping records, marketing, customer relations, government rules, and tax laws.

Tradespeople can have both the technical and business skills, but still not be able to start their own practice if they don’t have capital. This is an area to call on the government to “put your money where your mouth is.” The government, working closely with vocational training schools, should back its words with action. It should create a system and criteria for providing start-up loans to graduates of vocational training schools to enable them to buy tools and equipment they need to embark on self-employment.

Finally, on a macro-level, small businesses should be valued as much as, if not more than, how foreign investment is valued and subsidized. If you open the Export Processing Zone website, you will find a long list of “lucrative investment incentives to our investors”. Where are the lucrative incentives for small entrepreneurs? We need a change in our mindset. When foreign investors face challenges in meeting some of the requirements to invest in Tanzania, the authorities are quick to work with them to resolve them.

No such approach exists for local small businesses. But that is the approach needed. With an inviting environment for small businesses and enhanced vocational training programmes, youth unemployment may not be as severe as it is currently.

Richard E. Mshomba is Professor Emeritus of Economics, La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. [email protected]