Tanzania launches guidelines to boost implementation of Apprenticeship and Internship programmes in the Country

“… In Tanzania we witness a high rate of employers complaining about graduates lacking employable skills…This has driven us to come up with these guidelines to increase skills to address the unemployment crisis…”

This was said by the United Republic of Tanzania’s Premier H.E. Kassim Majaliwa Majaliwa when officiating at the above launch on 16 September 2017 in Dodoma, the capital city of the country.

The guidelines are aimed at providing guidance to all stakeholders in developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating formal apprenticeship training programmes in the country. More specifically, the guidelines, among others, set out roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders in training, funding, quality assurance and coordination of the programmes.

The Prime Minister emphasized that, the plan is to address unemployment crisis in the country, as the national overall rate stands at 10.3%, among the youth relatively high at 11.7% compared at global rate of 5.8%.

The Tanzania’s Integrated Labour Force Survey (2014) indicated that only 20.1 per cent of employed staff had competence skills with a whopping 79.9 per cent working without the required skills; and therefore, a need to strengthen the workforce through improving internships and apprenticeships trainings by adopting comprehensive guidelines, he stressed.

Mr Majaliwa explained further that, the guidelines will build employer’s and other stakeholders’ confidence in the job market as they are in line with the government’s industrial development plans and the country’s ambition of attaining a middle income country status by 2025.

Presenting the documents, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Labour, Youth, Employment, policy, and Persons with disabilities, Ms Jenista Mhagama said the guidelines will not only lead stakeholders in developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating formal apprenticeship and internship training programmes in the country but also ensure competency and quality of trained professionals.

“… the guidelines also provide guidance on training interns and apprentices and a need for the establishment of a national committee to regulate and coordinate the programmes at national level…” she added.

Ms. Subira Changwila, on behalf of her fellow apprentices, called upon the government and other stakeholders to keep on supporting the programme to ensure its sustainability, thereby facilitating youth employability.

“… Following the training, our vision has completely changed and we are now confident and assured of being employed in the hotel and tourism industry or even being self-employed… “ she added

In their remarks, both the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) Secretary General, Dr Yahya Msigwa, and the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) Executive Director, Dr Aggrey Mlimuka, lauded the government for initiating and preparing the guidelines, but advised for relocation of the Vocational Education Training Authority (VETA) from the Education to the Labour and Employment ministry. Reasons provided included ensuring marching of the skills provided by VETA with the labour market demands in the country.

On her part, the Director ILO Country office for East Africa, Dr. Mary Kawar, hailed the Government and other stakeholders for the launch of the guidelines as it demonstrates the commitment in taking concrete action to upgrade youth skills and achieving industrialization, and moving to the medium income status country by 2025.

Commenting on tasks ahead and quality assurance, Mary said, “… among the practical matters needed for proper implementation and sustainability are proper and balanced legislations, financial resources and quality assurances that ensure apprentices get transferable skills alongside industry specific skills…”.

With support from the government of Norway, Tanzania (both mainland and Zanzibar) is implementing a Certified Apprenticeship programme in hotel operations aimed at promoting access to quality training and employability, especially for young women and men.

To date, whereas in Tanzania mainland, a total of 32 youth apprentices have undergone training and already in employment and 103 others under training, 60 have successfully enrolled in the programme in the Isles and will train for two academic years.