HAKIELIMU, Finnish varsity partner to boost vocational education

Dr John Kalage, HakiElimu executive director said at the weekend in Dar es Salaam that the project dubbed ‘Technical and Vocational Education Training at Work ‘TVETatWork’ is funded by the European Union.

He said ‘TVETatWork’ project opens up a new chapter in the nation's VET landscape which acts as an answer to the pressing need for skilled, industry-ready graduates who can not only find jobs but also create them.

“I am excited by this project whose objective focuses on building the capacity of vocational education and training providers and teachers. This no doubt aligns well with the TVET institutions’ demands,” he said.

He added: “For those who do not know, most young men and women joining our VET institutions are standard seven and form four leavers who did not have the opportunity to transition to higher levels in the formal schooling system.”

According to him, the TVET industry has been dealing with the challenge of relevance with curricula lagging behind industry demands and traditional teaching methods struggling to capture the imaginations of dynamic youth.

"For those conversant with the Tanzania employment market, you may agree with me that we have witnessed some mismatch between skills learned and opportunities available," Dr Kalage said.

He further added that at least 65 percent of form four leavers, for instance, score division four and zero in their form four national exams which prohibit them from joining A-level studies, hence VET is the only viable option for immediate skills development and education.

The leavers are not only increasing in VET institutions but are also considered ill-prepared academically from their formal schooling, and therefore need more skilled, dedicated and well-equipped VET teachers and providers who can uplift them skills-wise and professionally.

 “I know that TVETatWork project transcends the application of technology to VET Institutions. It is more about leveraging the power of immersive technologies such as virtual reality or augmented reality to create authentic, hands-on learning experiences that mirror the reality of the workplace,” he said.

Johanna Valtonen, the project coordinator from embassy of Finland said the country has had a very special relationship with Tanzania since 1962 and with that, they value and pursue other relationships across different dimensions like political, economic, cultural and academic.

 “There is a growing and impressive number of universities and researchers in Tanzania and Finland working together in different spheres and sectors. I think this is really the best way to enhance the fruitful exchange and learning between our societies,” said Valtonen.

Carita Cruz, the project coordinator from HAMK University said their main objective as a partner to the project was to make positive change, adding that their excellent performance is nothing without networks.

“We have valuable partners here in Tanzania and we are here to make a change. Every child starts with small steps and I think we are now at the point of making giant steps in the future and most especially in the digital sector,” she said.

Other partners of the project are 3DBear and Centro San Viator, Morogoro Vocational Teachers Training College, Karume Institute of Science and Technology, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training.