81283890-Digitalization of core processes and development of blended learning formats for the TVET system in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is Africa"s second-most populous country, with approx. 112 million people. Economic growth of around 9% was achieved in 2019 and 6% in 2020 despite the global pandemic. The country"s education system faces the challenge of providing students with practical training that is appropriate to the labour market. Young Ethiopians face a high rate of unemployment, which further exacerbates social inequality and is accompanied by the potential for conflict. Offering training courses and studies that are geared more strongly towards employment is a key prerequisite for job creation and improved income generation. The education, private and health sectors have to cooperate in order to align training, study and further education courses with the needs of the private sector. The Ethiopian Government recognises the importance of closer cooperation between the education and private sectors, and focuses on this in various policy strategies. Nevertheless, efforts to involve the private sector in developing and implementing training courses at vocational schools and technical colleges, as well as measures aimed at developing employment-oriented skills, have failed to produce the desired results to date. The employability of graduates therefore remains too low. There is a lack of skilled workers that meet the requirements of a private sector characterised by increasing specialisation, mechanisation and internationalisation. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ is implementing the Sustainable Training and Education Programme in Ethiopia. Germany is supporting the Ethiopian Government in improving the income and employment situation, especially for young people, through demand-driven training courses. Training models based on demand and needs in the Ethiopian economy and the health sector are developed and implemented together with the private sector. The aim of the project is to improve the employability of the target groups: vocational school and technical college students and graduates, young adult job seekers and the self-employed in the informal sector. The project is also aimed at teaching staff and managers in vocational training institutions and technical colleges, trainers within companies, and technical and managerial staff in partner ministries and subordinate authorities. Gender equality provides a framework for action for all interventions through the project and is a consistent element of the dialogue with partners. The ministries responsible and their subordinate authorities face the challenge of ensuring the necessary general conditions and resources and permanently mainstreaming employment-oriented approaches. 42 per cent of the graduates of the vocational schools that have received support have so far found employment relevant to their training (figures correct as of March 2021). In addition to these employment impacts, the cooperation has already contributed to improved training quality and increased employment prospects. The greater orientation towards the growing Ethiopian economy is contributing indirectly to productivity increases and to the country"s economic development in general. The Capacity Building in the Education Sector Project aims to support the continued institutionalisation of these interventions. The project is operating at various levels to achieve this. Firstly, advice is provided to partner institutions at national level in order to improve the training of vocational school teachers, among other things. At the same time, training measures for various target groups are being piloted together with the relevant national and regional authorities in Adama, Bahir Dar, Hawassa and in Addis Ababa. The focus is on the private sector, with the intention of actively and permanently involving companies as well as employers" associations and chambers.