TANZANIA has decided to recognize the prior learning programs a move that will prove to be an important milestone for skills development and employment opportunities for youths.

Speaking during the official launching of the recognition of Prior Learning Assessment Program (RPLA) to the invited dignitaries in Dar es Salaam last week, the Vice President of Tanzania, Dr Mohammed Ghalib Bilal said that the program is aimed at recognizing skills irrespective of how, where and when they were attained.

He said that in countries with large informal economy like Tanzania, informal apprenticeship is the only option for thousands of young people to acquire skills having failed to make it to formal training for various reasons.

Dr Bilal added that statistics indicate that over 500,000 youths who have completed their secondary school education fail to get further study opportunities every year, which means that if they do not gets proper training they end up in the job market without any formal training.

The VP further said that apprenticeship system in the informal economy, where young people are trained informally in acquiring skills, is the most prevalent way of skills acquisition for poor and marginalized communities.

“Apart from different avenues employed in tackling employment, the government has embarked on making sure that there are enough vocational training centers in the country to cater for these young people, and by doing so, currently there are 27 government centers and over 600 private centers,” said the VP.

He said that the certificates acquired by the young people in their apprenticeship program will not only be recognized in the country but internationally, saying that to ensure this the government had to involve the International Labor Organization (ILO). 

On his part, the Vocational Education Training Authority (VETA) Director General Zebadiah Moshi said that the essence of prior learning assessment is to recognize the skills from individuals in the informal sector of education, and give them an official recognition at the government level.

He underscored that this move has many advantages to the youth in Tanzania by first recognizing their skills at the individual level in any given profession and award them with proper certificates.

Moshi noted that with the support from ILO, VETA has for the past three years studied how training takes places at the workplace and aligns the dynamics with VETA curricular and occupational standards.
“As a result, a framework for RPLA was improved that guides how the skills recognition should be done,
“With this framework, VETA is now in a position to expand access for skills development to thousands of young people whose skills are not recognized yet are competent,” said Moshi.

The ILO Regional Entrepreneurship Specialist, Julius Mutio on his part said that ILO will continue increasing access to skills development, promote employability, improves productivity and promote equality.

“This is the second launch event for a skills development initiative that the ILO, the government of Tanzania and partners are championing. In 5th September 2014 we launched certified apprenticeship programme which resulted from the decision made during a tripartite consultative workshop in 2008,” he said

He added: “The ILO further believes in upgrading informal apprenticeship because it is the most widespread training system in developing countries including Tanzania. Informal apprenticeships are the most important source of skills training in Africa at large”

He also noted that in countries like Benin, Senegal and Cameroon constitutes 90 percent through which people acquire trainings in trades, moreover the skills acquired through informal apprenticeship are relevant and always and always tailored to the needs of the local community making graduates of informal apprenticeship highly employable.
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