Timor-Leste TVET trainers complete study tour in Australia to strengthen competency-based training and assessment

© ILO

© ILO

DARWIN, Australia (ILO News) – Fourteen technical and vocational education and training (TVET) trainers from training centers across Timor-Leste, including a representative of the National Institute for the Development of Human Resources (INDMO), took part in a study tour to Darwin, Australia, from 21 to 26 September 2026.

The study tour was organized under the Agroforestry Skills for Employment and Resilience in Timor-Leste Programme, implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) with funding from the European Union (EU). It was hosted by the Technical and Further Education department of Charles Darwin University (CDU TAFE).

The practical activities gave me the opportunity to learn about aquaponics, plant propagation, seed selection, agricultural machinery and integrated agroforestry farm management.

Adelino da Costa, Trainer at Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry Timor-Leste

The study tour gave Timor-Leste’s TVET trainers first-hand exposure to Australia’s accredited, competency-based training system, including how training is designed, delivered and assessed. All participants had completed CBET Level 4 training through the Programme and were selected for their potential to become Master Trainers, supporting other trainers and strengthening TVET delivery.

During the tour, participants were introduced to the structure of Australian qualifications and units of competency and visited CDU TAFE's training facilities across several disciplines. They experienced a unit of competency from the learner's perspective, taking part in theory sessions, written assessments and a practical session delivered by a CDU TAFE trainer.

© ILO

© ILO

The group also visited agroforestry sites in the Douglas Daly region, including mahogany and sandalwood plantations, and concluded the tour with a debriefing, a planning session on next steps and a networking session. The participants said the exchange deepened their understanding of competency-based training and gave them practical approaches that can be applied directly in their own institutions.

“The practical activities gave me the opportunity to learn about aquaponics, plant propagation, seed selection, agricultural machinery and integrated agroforestry farm management. This experience will help me increase my capacity as an agroforestry trainer and bring this knowledge back to farmer groups in Timor-Leste,” said Adelino da Costa, Trainer at Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry Timor-Leste.

Sharing a similar experience, Jacinta dos santos, Trainer at National Center for Employment and Vocational Training (CNEFP Tibar) said: “The study tour increased my knowledge and skills as a trainer, especially in practical assessment based on competency standards. I also learned how modern agricultural equipment and water conservation can support sustainable agroforestry. The techniques I learned for planting trees such as mahogany and camel can be reapplied in Timor-Leste.”

As an immediate result, the study tour has also drawn the interest of the Pacific Australia Skills (PAS) Project, funded by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), which will support the development of the first Master Trainer qualification under INDMO. PAS has proposed to include the trainers who took part in the study tour in this qualification programme.

I also learned how modern agricultural equipment and water conservation can support sustainable agroforestry. The techniques I learned for planting trees such as mahogany and camel can be reapplied in Timor-Leste.
Jacinta dos santos, Trainer at National Center for Employment and Vocational Training (CNEFP Tibar)