Newly elevated Arusha Technical College (ATC) has stepped up its training programmes to meet the demand for technicians.

ATC principal Richard Masika said the college has started to train technicians in laboratory science and technology this year, and would soon introduce other courses to satisfy demand in the sector.

"This is in response to the high demand of laboratory technicians in secondary schools and industries," Dr Masika told The Citizen in an interview.

He said the college was now an autonomous institution under the National Council for Technical Education (Nacte) Act No.9, which replaced the then Technical College of Arusha (TCA) that had existed since 1978.

It is currently the only college under the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training that provides engineering and science technician education and training programmes.

"Our focus now would be on strong linkage between technical education and training institutions with employers," Dr Masika said.

He said although the status of the college was changed through the Arusha Technical College Establishment Order No. 78 of March 2007, implementation of the Order started only two months ago at the start of the 2009/2010 academic year.

The institution has changed hands among the ministries of Education, Higher Education, Science and Technology over the years.

Dr Masika, a former deputy principal of the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT), said his main task now was to recruit more qualified staff and work closely with the industries to meet the challenge.

The college needs at least 30 more academic staff in addition to the existing 60 tutors in order to improve its academic programmes, he added.

Working closely with the industry would enable the college to identify skill gaps and improve quality of training as well as obtain relevant materials for teaching.

On the other hand, by linking with the technical institutions employers would know future skills availability and influence the training of future generation of well-qualified graduates.

The Nacte-accredited ATC runs currently runs technician programmes in automotive, civil, electrical, mechanical, highway and electronics and telecommunication engineering, awarding Ordinary Diplomas since 2005.

This year alone a total of 121 students would graduate after having successfully completed their studies. The college has about 500 students pursuing different courses at anytime.