This report outlines the situation of TVET in Africa (Chapter II). It also outlines the key approaches to developing TVET at national and continental levels (Chapter III). An excursion into the TVETpolicies of the European Union institutions shows how other supranational organisations are trying to develop TVET through international cooperation (Chapter IV). Recommendations for the direction of future approaches to the development of TVET conclude the report, with particular reference to continental cooperation activities od the African Union (Chapter V).
The report is based on analyses of available primary and secondary sources (see list of sources) as well as on conducting interviews with persons directly or indirectly involved in the SIFA TC programme. The following figure shows the results of the report: The central political objectives in the field of TVET ("Overall TVET Policy Goals") are to combat youth unemployment, to open up educational and career opportunities for young people, and to develop skilled workers. The implementation of these goals faces many challenges ("Challenges and Weaknesses in TVET"). These challenges are met with a variety of different strategies and approaches ("National Strategies and Approaches in TVET"). Activities in continental cooperation within the framework of the African Union ("Role and Scope of International and Continental Cooperation") can support the further development of TVET as part of a long-term strategy.
For the further development of employment-oriented TVET, the expansion of the policy field of TVET is of utmost importance at the national, regional and continental levels. The role and importance of TVET must be strengthened in the perception of stakeholders. In addition to the social contribution that TVET can make to combating youth unemployment, its economic importance for development in Africa must be strengthened. Skilled labour development and skilled labour mobility should be emphasised more strongly, especially through the following strategies: Linking TVET as a policy field closely to other policy fields, in particular to the development of free trade areas (bilaterally, regionally or continentally) and mutual recognition agreements / transnational vocational education and training standards in specific sectors.
As TVET provision lags far behind general education and higher education, capacity building is also of key importance. Therefore concrete system approaches of TVET in the member states can be quite different. Employment-oriented TVET can be achieved in very different ways. In addition, the knowledge base for decisions in the field of vocational education and training must be expanded through research and human resource development. And, last but not least, for the integration of the informal in-company qualification sector (informal apprenticeships), financing incentives must be expanded, ideally a combination of small loans with training obligations. This report also contains a "snapshot" of SIFA TC, with a few selected insights and assessments of the approach and possibilities of the programme (Chapter VI).
