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Concern over fewer girls in vocational institutions

BE Editor 29th Jul, 2024 Economy Business Edge Reporter
Concern over fewer girls in vocational institutions

Secondary school students in a computer lab. Experts urge private sector stakeholders to do more to support the scaling up of digital skills among young people.


The low enrolment and completion rates for girls in Uganda’s Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes should be a serious concern for policy makers and implementers, according to a new report.

The report, titled, ‘Africa’s Development Dynamics 2024: Skills, Jobs and Productivity,’ was compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in collaboration with the African Union Commission.

It says Uganda’s TVET end of year assessment in 2019 indicated that women comprised only 19% of the examinees.

  • “Young girls and women are often prevented from enrolling in and completing TVET programmes. This results from social norms that confine their role to the domestic realm, from long distances to TVET institutions and from the high cost of learning materials,” the report reads in part.

It adds; “Gender divides are highest in Uganda (where the share of male workers in skilled occupations is 13 percentage points (pp) higher than female), Kenya (11 pp) and Tanzania (11 pp).”

The report explores how African stakeholders can increase the continent’s supply of quality skills, in line with current and future demand, to support the creation of jobs and growth in productivity.

  • Regionally, the EAC region’s labour productivity is below the African average, even though East Africa boasts the fastest economic growth of all the continent’s regions. Over three quarters of workers are in unskilled occupations in agriculture and trade.

The report also explores how African governments, firms and educational institutions can increase the supply of quality skills, in line with current and future demand, to create jobs and increase productivity.

It notes that skill gaps vary between countries and while some African economies are diversifying, countries like Uganda are still dependent on agricultural employment, which amplifies the need for the scaling up of TVET institutions to respond to the emerging skill needs.

It recommends that as African economies diversify, workers need more soft, business and sector-specific technical skills to increase productivity and technology adoption. TVET institutions would benefit from an improved reputation and more relevant curricula, including on digital skills.

“Stronger linkages with the private sector can enhance the professionalisation of TVET trainers and help align skill supply with demand,” it says.

  • Quoting a recent World Bank report, the report says targeting TVET would expand the supply of digital skills and policy support to TVET institutions would contribute to meeting the demand for digital skills training opportunities.
  • It urges international partners to help create or improve accredited TVET courses so as to align them to the requirements of the labour market through public private alliances.

The report commends Uganda's National Development Plan (NDP III) for being heavily focused on increasing investment in ICT as one of the productive sectors in a bid to enhance livelihoods, generate employment and produce goods for export and import substitution.

However, though Uganda scores highly on digital policy and regulation, the country scores lower on skills, innovation and inclusiveness as well as infrastructure. The report recommends the strengthening of the regional integration of skills development policies to provide more efficient labour flows and skills allocation.

The experts also recommend that policies to improve digital skills development in East Africa should focus on expanding internet access and the integrating of digital skills into education to increase the supply of and demand for basic digital skills and enhancing regional integration of digital markets, infrastructure and skill provision to improve conditions for digital skills development and digital entrepreneurship.

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