VET-Partnership in East Africa – Three partner countries in one project

The vocational eduacation and training (VET) partnership is funded by the German Federal Ministry of economic cooperation and development via the sequa gGmbH.

What does vocational training in the skilled trades look like in the three partner countries of the vocational training partnership and what role do the skilled trades play?

Constanze Küsel (CK): As in many countries around the world, vocational education and training in Africa is very theoretical, i.e. school-based. The young people learn a lot at school and perhaps do an internship on a construction site from time to time. They don't learn in companies like apprentices do in Germany. And it has to be said: the economy is not strong enough for that model.

In our project countries, as in many other countries, the importance of the skilled trades is unfortunately not the same as in Germany. This means that craftsmanship often means "menial trades, menial jobs". People also strive for academic qualifications in Africa or in the Balkans, where we are active with international projects. It is also interesting to note that craftsmanship is actually understood to mean more arts and crafts professions, for example ceramics, textiles, wood. And it is not recognised that technical professions can also be skilled trades. We also have different economic structures in our project countries. In the craft sector, we tend to have smaller business structures and that is precisely what we have in these countries.

The HWK Koblenz has been working with partners in Rwanda for some time. How did the idea of extending this cooperation to Uganda and Burundi come about?

CK: As part of the East African Community, an association of East African countries, they are working on regional integration, for example on creating equal structures at an economic and educational level. In this context, we have extended our cooperation to Burundi and Uganda. Uganda is already quite advanced, whereas Burundi is still a very underdeveloped country. Our experience in Rwanda naturally enables us to provide good support to the other two countries, especially Burundi.

The sequa website states: "The aim of the multi-partner structure is to harmonise vocational education and training on a trial basis and to transfer structures and innovations that have proven successful in one country to the other countries on a trial basis." Can you give us a few examples of structures and innovations that are being transferred between the different countries?

CK: In previous projects in Rwanda, we have already set up a very simplified version of the dual system of vocational training in the road construction sector. There are 3 months of school and 3 months in a company. It was a lot of work to get the companies on board. We were able to build on this, which means that we were able to transfer the experience we gained there to Uganda and Burundi. The whole project is structured in such a way that we are really trying to standardise the curricula and also to transfer this dual vocational training to both countries in a very reduced version, in the solar and welding sectors.

What role does the HWK Koblenz play in this knowledge transfer between the three African countries? To put it bluntly, what do the stakeholders from the three countries gain from having a German player at the table?

CK: Apart from the money, it is of course also about the expertise. We mainly do capacity building. This means that we provide our experts, who are already very experienced in practice-orientated vocational training and also have the specialist know-how from the skilled trades and our vocational training structures. In some cases, however, we also realise that we can really train people in the project countries through coaching and co-trainers, so that they can then become active in these vocational training courses themselves and we no longer have to provide support. – As multipliers, so to speak. So we provide a boost financially and with our expertise. In this respect, it is always important to us that we have co-trainers with us who can then teach independently at some point.

How were the trades that BBP specialises in selected?

CK: We were already very active in the solar sector in Rwanda. We have already worked with many small schools there, installing solar systems at the schools. This provides the schools with electricity for the administration, for example. Welding is important in the project because that's what the partners are primarily interested in. In development cooperation, it is important to ask: "What do you need?" And that's exactly what we do in the projects: we first evaluate the situation and then it becomes clear where the priorities should lie. And that's how we came to prioritise welding and solar. But in this project we are also doing something with motor vehicles in Africa and in the second phase, which we are currently in, we are also doing something in the textile sector.

We primarily train the trainers so that they can pass on their knowledge. At the same time, however, we also provide them with further technical training. By placing exemplary solar systems in the schools, we naturally also want the teachers to learn how to maintain and, in the best case, repair them themselves. This is therefore also the subject and content of the teaching units. It is also interesting that two of our partner schools in Rwanda now want to become Solar Excellence Centres. So they want to specialise in solar energy and try to build up a solitary position and try to attract students from all over Rwanda to their school. The pupils have to pay for training in Rwanda. We have developed a concept together with or partner institutions, but now it is up to them to realise it. The one project with which we could have supported this has expired.

Beyond the issue of solar technology, does the topic of sustainability also play a role in the BBP East Africa?

CK: The term sustainability is ambiguous and sustainable means, on the one hand, that the partners can continue to work independently when we are no longer there. To this end, we are now trying to involve the companies even more in our project. This would give us a good basis to build on in a truly long-lasting way.

Under the other meaning of sustainability, for example environmental awareness, we are of course very well positioned in the solar sector. In Burundi and Uganda, for example, we have implemented a fantastic small project as part of the larger project. Our experts from the welding and solar sectors worked together to develop a so-called solar mobile. In other words, one expert drove down and welded the solar mobile – a mobile trailer – as part of a teaching unit. And then the next expert came and worked with the participants to install a solar system in this trailer. And now we have a mobile trailer at the school where people can actually charge their mobile phones. Theoretically, this could also become a market concept, as there are often problems with the power supply in these countries, especially in rural areas. So, it really is a good win-win story.

On sequa's website, the topic of promoting women's employment is also mentioned as a field of action for the vocational training partnership in East Africa. How do the challenges of women's employment differ in East Africa and in Germany?

CK: It is interesting to note that in Rwanda, for example, 60 per cent of politicians are women. We see a lot of women carrying heavy buckets on construction sites there. And we actually have more women on our solar and welding courses than in Germany. That doesn't mean that there are a lot of them. But what is interesting about women in the building trade – and I notice this both in Germany and in Africa – is that we find a lot of women when it comes to sustainable construction. They have a stronger affinity for sustainable materials. In another project, for example, we organised a bamboo course and clay and lime seminars. And a lot of women came straight away. It's the same in Germany.

In general, we have the same problem as in Germany, that there are classic male professions. The question arises: does it make sense to really try to get women into car mechatronics or welding, or should we not make sure that we really support them more in the trades where they are already working? And we are now also active in the textile sector, which is of course predominantly occupied by women.

What are the most important results of the VET partnership East Africa so far?

CK: The cross-regional exchange is a main focus of the project, that the members of the East African Community are starting to work together and standardise. We have also been successful in transferring the simplified dual system, as in Rwanda, to the other two countries. This is now also in the implementation phase.

It is also interesting that Rwanda and Burundi have been able to learn from Uganda. They have the Workers' Pass. This is about validating professional qualifications. This means that people collect their individual work experience in a passport or in a book and can thus prove what they have already done in their profession. This also works without having completed a training programme or at least without having completed a particularly high-quality, long-term training programme. So it's a nice example that the countries now want to follow.

What surprised you and your colleagues in the project? What did you not expect?

CK: I've already mentioned the example of the Workers' Pass. That is one example; another is the energy with which those responsible at the education centres in Rwanda now want to develop them into solar centres of excellence is also surprising and great. Our partners are now saying: We really want to do something with the solar sector here. That doesn't mean that we don't believe they can do it. But in development cooperation, we often have to do a lot of convincing because people simply don't have the experience. And in contrast, it's nice to see how intrinsically motivated our partners are.

What hurdles had to be overcome in the project work?

CK: There are many hurdles in development cooperation. One major hurdle for us was working with the ministries. However, this is necessary in vocational education and training, for example for accreditation processes. In Uganda, we had great difficulty getting in touch with the Ministry of Education. They put up a brick wall. In contrast, the Ministry of Labour was very positive and open to everything. Unfortunately, this is often down to individual people. This political level is sometimes really difficult. Another difficulty is reaching the companies and the economy and communicating this to them: Why don't you work with us? It's about the young talent for your companies.

What good approaches do you have to convince companies to co-operate?

CK: We really do a bit of trading and say, for example: "Why don't you take on young people for more than a week in your company and we'll give you capacity building training for free?" And otherwise you have to keep at it, keep communicating and mediating with them. Many companies don't have the capacity to get in touch with young people. We are looking for companies that really want to do this. For example, we now want to travel to our project countries with a company from Germany that does really great work with young people and does a lot for its employees and young apprentices. So that the entrepreneur can simply tell our partners: How does he retain his apprentices? How does he get the apprentices in the first place? And what do his apprentices do for him?

You always have to convey the message that it is of benefit to entrepreneurs if they train their own young people. And that's really difficult and you can't expect that. In Germany, there has simply been a centuries-long process. But we are trying to convince the entrepreneurs in our project countries bit by bit, in line with the motto: every drop wears away the stone.

How could the current project develop further? And how could the collaboration be organised in the future?

CK: It is very important to us that we now increasingly involve the companies in our project and not just work with the schools. We want to continue what we have developed with the companies – independently of accreditation processes or school processes.

What is the interest of the Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts in this and the other international projects? What benefits do you derive from them?

CK: Our member companies keep asking us the same question. The Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts has been carrying out international projects for 30 years, which are financially independent of the membership fees. We want to provide support. The skilled crafts sector has huge potential, and you can achieve an incredible result with it. At the same time, we can improve our standing as a skilled crafts organisation. We motivate employees and member companies to get involved. In this way, we can say: "Skilled crafts also go abroad." But we can also always take a lot away for ourselves. The cooperation is based on reciprocity, even if it's just that a colleague from the chamber has many enriching personal experiences during the assignments.

That also makes you more interesting as an employer, for example to fill positions as trainers at training centres.

CK: Exactly! That is clearly a strategy. But we are operating on several different tracks. Not that many people want to go abroad. That's also interesting to find out. But I think the skilled crafts can simply provide an incredible amount of support: In third countries or in other countries in general, because we have our experience with practice-orientated training and that is good training, you simply have to say that. And when you come to these countries, you can see that skilled crafts are everywhere. So why shouldn't we support them if we can?

Would you like to say something else in conclusion about skilled crafts in development cooperation, skilled crafts in international vocational training cooperation?

CK: For me, it's simply like this: when you move around in these countries in Africa and you see all the people working on the roadside in their very small workshops: It's all manual labour. Skilled crafts are so decentralised and so important in building a strong economy that they absolutely need to be given a very high priority in development cooperation. I can't imagine building or strengthening an economy in a country without the skilled crafts sector. That's not just because I work for the Chamber of Skilled Crafts. It's quite logical. It's not for nothing that they say that the skilled crafts sector is the economic power next door – a very important economic power.

And that can also be the case in the partner countries of development cooperation.

CK: Exactly.

Thank you very much for the interview.