
Youth employment is one of the main challenges facing the African continent. The numbers speak for themselves. Young people between the ages of 15 to 24 make up 20 per cent of the African population and represent 41 per cent of the unemployed. Seventy per cent of youth that do have jobs are doing work categorised as vulnerable employment. In this context of massive ‘hidden unemployment’, the number of people of working age is set to increase by approximately 450 million by 2035. According to the 2017 Africa Competitiveness Report produced by the World Bank, the African Development Bank (ADB) and the World Economic Forum, if job creation trends remain unchanged, only 100 million of them might find opportunities for decent work.
Given this situation, it is imperative that the development of TVET on a continental level, over and above the quantitative increase in the number of participants in lifelong learning, must result in an improvement in the management and quality of TVET systems.
Most of the reforms of TVET systems by African countries place an important focus on the management of the quality of training. However, quality assurance systems are still not considered sufficiently effective by vocational training actors. To be successful in meeting this challenge, the quality of training and the excellence of the centres’ management must be given legitimacy based on the successful and sustainable transition of learners from TVET to the labour market.
The issue of the training-to-employment transition has a direct impact on the beneficiaries of both basic and ongoing training. This is influenced in part by external factors such as the structure and dynamics of labour markets that are not covered in this report. It also stems from internal system factors, such as the distribution of roles between central directorates and training centres and institutes, the alignment of qualifications and certification with the needs of the market, and the quantitative and qualitative regulation of training provision on the basis of labour market demand.
This report will look at three key questions that were raised:
What certification mechanisms will guarantee the quality of learning achievements and their alignment with economic needs in terms of skills? In addition to the courses offered by vocational training centres (VTCs), the African context provides multiple and varied opportunities for vocational training, including through internships and apprenticeships, be they traditional, renewed, or dual. Qualification frameworks and systems, certification processes and the recognition of prior learning, and the involvement of the private sector in these steps, are several elements likely to ensure that learners obtain credible certificates that give businesses the confidence to hire them, and learners the flexibility to grow professionally in the context of lifelong learning.
Which strategies and tools will enable improvements in the performance of vocational training institutes and centres in terms of the professional integration of learners? Among the important elements leading to excellence in management practices at VTCs in Africa, the workshop underlined the importance of strategic planning, effective and transformational leadership, results-based management, and the selection of VTCs’ key internal and external performance indicators. Further points include the ongoing need to work with business to develop training approaches related to the corporate world and make content more relevant, active support for the professional integration of graduates, and teaching entrepreneurship skills.
How to create a proficient monitoring mechanism that can inform both ongoing TVET quality improvements and the regulation of training provision? Professional integration monitoring mechanisms are not currently widespread. They require the acquisition of data collection tools that are affordable and the active participation of the players involved (VTCs, youth and data analysts). When they exist, and if their outputs are disseminated among the public at large and stakeholders, including parents, secondary school teachers and youth, much value can be found in their outputs in terms of job trends. Information shared broadly with civil society and the education community will enable both the quantitative regulation – parents and youth will tend to choose vocational streams leading to jobs that are in demand – and the qualitative regulation of training provision, highlighting vocational streams undergoing growth or contraction. In countries where prospective labour market studies covering both remunerated work and self-employment are lacking, the analysis of graduates’ employment and further education rates may compensate the lack of updated information on jobs.