EU - ILO Development Cooperation Project

Skills development for increased employability programme

The five-year skills development for increased employability programme (SDEP), launched in 2023, strengthens the relevance, quality, and governance of the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET) system and encourages greater participation of the private sector in skills development initiatives that respond to the needs of industry in a greener economy.

Project details

2 January 2023 - 31 January 2028

€6.5 million

The European Union

ZMB/22/01/EUR

Lusaka, Zambia

Gerald Tembo, Senior National Programme Officer, [email protected]

Funded through a partnership agreement with the European Union (EU), the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Zambia is working to support the Government and private actors to focus on the governance and management structures of Zambia’s Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET) system and to support the upgrading and maintenance of training facilities and curriculum development.

Private sector involvement plays an important role in updating curricula and in the promotion of Work Based Learning (WBL) interventions. The overall objective is to contribute towards improving the employability of the labour force for both women and men in Zambia and supporting the TEVET system towards producing relevant skills that match the needs of the industry by the year 2026.

News and stories

ILO and EU strengthen hospitality skills training in Zambia
ILO and EU handed over modern training equipment and refurbished facilities at the Livingstone Institute of Business and Engineering Studies (LIBES), enhancing practical learning and preparing young people for careers in Zambia’s tourism sector.

ILO and EU strengthen hospitality skills training in Zambia

EU–ILO apprenticeship drive accelerates Zambia’s skills development push
Zesco workers at Lunzua Hydro Power Station in Mpulungu during the field visit.

EU–ILO apprenticeship drive accelerates Zambia’s skills development push