Focus Media (Kigali)
3 September 2008
Public Service and Labor Minister Anastase Murekezi last week announced that government will soon endorse a comprehensive policy to guide vocational training and technical education programs in the country.
Mr. Murekezi said this while officiating at a ceremony to award certificates to 850 students who successfully completed vocational training in various courses at Gacuriro Youth Training Centre (CFJ-Gacuriro) in Gasabo District.
"Several months ago, the Government named a taskforce to spearhead the establishment of Rwanda Workforce Development Authority (RWODA), and this is the time to congratulate the team for their accomplishments," the minister said in reference to a three-member team appointed by the Cabinet in May 2007, adding that soon the final policy that will define RWODA's mandate will be adopted.
The minister further announced a plan to integrate vocational training with technical education programs, which will ensure an open-ended system-meaning that from vocational training one can go on to technical school and then to university-similar to the ones adopted in several developed economies.
Countries that have promoted Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) like the Singapore and Japan have registered tremendous economic development, the Minister explained.
Out of the 850 graduates at Gacuriro, 424 (210 boys and 214 girls) completed in 2006, while 427 (261 boys and 167 girls) finalized their courses in 2007.
The graduates, who included former rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), trained in courses such as plumbing, tailoring, automotive servicing, hairdressing, masonry, carpentry, electrical technology, as well as food processing.
The Director of CFJ-Gacuriro, Gad Niyitegeka, outlined some of the challenges facing vocational training centers nationwide such as lack of enough infrastructure and financial constraints. Minister Murekezi promised that the Government would address the challenges.
CFJ-Gacuriro and other vocational training centers in the country were encouraged to introduce more short-term hands-on practical courses as one of the strategies to expand their programs to a wider section of the population.
Skills development challenges
The government is presently involved in the process of developing Sector Strategies to implement EDPRS programs. As stated in the country's Vision 2020 one of the identified development pillars is the Human Resource Development, the importance of which lies in the empowerment of individuals through developing their skills.
An independent evaluation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Program (PRSP) 1 revealed that capacity constraints, especially those related to inadequate skills, constitute a major impediment for the realization of PRSP-1 targets. Therefore, the government is undertaking initiatives to address these challenges so as to make EDPRS a reality
It is in this context that the government decided to establish the Rwanda Workforce Development Authority which is an institutional framework to provide a strategic response to the skills development challenges facing the country across all sectors of the economy.
As the country embarks on developing sector development strategies under EDPRS, the issue of capacity which largely constrained implementation of the programs under PRSP-1 is among the most important priorities to be addressed.
Skills development strategies in all sectors constitute an important ingredient in the respective sector development processes.
To fast-track the establishment of RwODA, a taskforce comprising of three members was appointed by the Government. The establishment of RWODA was formally approved by the Cabinet on January 18, 2008.
RWoDA's intervention in skills development programs will be to introduce hands-on practical vocational skill training. That way, it is expected that a critical mass of Rwandan population will acquire skills relevant with today's increasingly competitive world.
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