National Stakeholders’ Workshop on Upgrading and Institutionalization of Apprenticeship Systems in Tanzania

Workshop Objectives

The main objectives of the Workshop were:

• To disseminate findings of the Baseline survey on the status of apprenticeship systems in Tanzania (2007). The study commissioned by ILO was carried out in 2007 in Dar es Salaam , Tanzania, focusing on theoretical and practical experiences on informal and formal apprenticeship systems in the country;
• To share conceptual frameworks on traditional and formal apprenticeship systems (international and national/local perspectives);
• To review and propose improvement in the national institutional structures to cater for skills development in the country;
• To assess progress made in implementing Employment Policy and Employment Creation Strategies; and
• To discuss and agree on concrete strategies to upgrade traditional apprenticeship and institutionalize modern/formal apprenticeship in the formal employment.

Participation

The workshop was attended by skills development experts from the ILO, representatives from Government ministries and institutions, representatives from Employers and Workers organisations, CSO/NGOs, companies and individual craft-persons (informal) providing apprenticeship services respectively.

Background

The demand for skilled labour has risen significantly worldwide as a result of globalisation, advances in technology and the changing organization of work. Inadequate skills and skills mismatch reduce employability, increasing the risk that under-educated and under–trained youth are being marginalized and enterprise competitiveness has been undermined. In Tanzania, many young people in the informal economy find themselves trapped in a vicious circle of low skills, low productivity and low income. The major issue in the formal economy is the mismatch between skills obtained from the formal education and training system and the labour market demands given rapid technological development and globalisation.