Sustainable Training and Education Programme (STEP)

laufendes projekt

Context:With a population of approximately 112 million, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa and the fastest growing economy in the region with an economic growth rate of 9% in 2019. Ethiopia aims to reach lower-middle-income status by 2025, and the country has been undergoing a political transition including far-reaching political as well as economic reforms, also in the technical and vocational training and education as well as in the higher education sector. However, despite these developments, young Ethiopians and graduates of universities of applied sciences (UAS) or colleges for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) are facing high unemployment, which further adds to social and economic inequality and increases the potential for conflict. As a result, the employability of TVET and UAS graduates as well as job seekers and self-employed workers in the informal sector remains too low (core problem).Objective:The employability of TVET and UAS students and graduates, job seekers, and self-employed people in the informal sector, especially women, is increased.Approach:A stronger employment orientation of training and study programmes is a key prerequisite for better jobs and improved income generation, and thus Ethiopia’s peaceful and inclusive development. Against this background, the project aims to expand employment-oriented qualifications and skills development offers in six economic sectors (automotive, building construction, electrotechnology, hotel & tourism, health, and agro-processing), among others through fostering a cooperation between the education and private sector in order to align the TVET and UAS system more closely with the needs of the private sector and thus to close the gap between supply and demand on the labour market in the long-term.The joint project targets vocational trainees, students and graduates of TVET schools and universities of applied sciences, young adult job seekers and self-employed persons in the informal sector, as well as teaching staff and managers in vocational training institutions and universities of applied sciences, in-company trainers, and technical and managerial staff in partner ministries and subordinate authorities. Gender equality and conflict-sensitivity provide a framework for action for all interventions through the project and is a consistent element of the dialogue with partners.To achieve its objective, the project clusters its activities under five thematic areas and key interventions:1. Steering Mechanisms for TVET and UASThe programme improves the steering mechanisms for technical and vocational education and training and universities of applied sciences in Ethiopia. The goal is to strengthen the close coordination and cooperation between public actors, education providers, private sector actors (companies and associations) as well as health institutions for the creation of a labour market-oriented education system.2. Skills Development for TVET and UAS StakeholdersSTEP strengthens the capacity of UAS and TVET staff in the public, private and health sectors to implement demand-driven UAS education and TVET. The programme also scales up the management and leadership competences of management staff as well as the technical, pedagogical and didactical training of instructors, in-company and in-hospital trainers, and UAS lecturers.3. Labour Market-Oriented Qualification MeasuresThe porgramme expands the provision of labour market-oriented qualification measures for school graduates, TVET and UAS students and graduates, job seekers, and informally self-employed workers in six economic sectors (automotive, construction, electrotechnology, health, agro-processing, and hotel and tourism), thereby improving the quality of training and increasing their employment prospects.4. Private Sector Participation in TVET and UASThe programme facilitates the involvement of the private sector in TVET, UAS and employment promotion. The programme also strengthens the development and implementation of cooperative training in companies, industrial parks as well as training hospitals to contribute to an increased relevance and quality of the respective training offers.5. Digitalisation in TVETSTEP supports the capacities of partners to further the digital transformation of the TVET system through synthesizing digital teaching and learning opportunities at different learning venues as well as digitalised core processes of TVET. This not only aligns the TVET system with the new technological requirements of the economy, but also strengthens its resilience and offers growth and employment potential through the development of digitally competent workforces.

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