Publication: Assessing Swaziland’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training System to Improve Economic Growth
Loading...
Files in English
679 downloads
Date
2014
ISSN
Published
2014
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Swaziland’s economic growth has moderated over the last two decades and has been among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The slow growth has exacerbated the serious challenges facing the country’s development, for example, high unemployment, particularly among the youth. The demographic shift in the coming two decades will cause working age population growth to outpace population growth. At the recent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates, job creation will fail to keep pace with the number of new entrants, most of them are the youth and current job seekers in the labor market. Although skills development is a continuing process and most of it takes place on the job, for young people, foundation skills are developed in education and training institutions. In particular, their basic vocational and technical skills are developed through technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Thus, whether the current TVET system in the country can meet the above mentioned expectations needs to be examined. The rapid assessment provides an overview of a highly varied landscape of TVET providers. At present, Swaziland has 70 TVET institutions, 27 are public, 29 are private for-profit, and 14 are run by NGOs, churches and communities (private but non-profit). These institutions offer 415 training programs in 60 areas ranging from vocational programs such as sewing, farming, carpentry, etc. to highly technical and professional programs such as business management, computer programming, education, etc.The assessment also reveals the fragmentation and lack of coordination of the country’s current TVET system. Some principal weaknesses include : 1) Low efficiency of the system, especially in the public sector; 2) Limited range of programs; 3) Lack of strong quality assurance mechanisms at both national and institutional levels; 4) Insufficient public investment in TVET. From the assessment, it is clear that urgent attention must be given to the weak alignment between current TVET provision and labor market requirements. This is particularly evident in priority industries of tourism, food processing, manufacturing, and mining. This report sheds light on potential areas for policy intervention to improve the TVET system and make it more effective in helping address youth unemployment in the country.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2014. Assessing Swaziland’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training System to Improve Economic Growth. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/25203 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Institutional Assessment of Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority(Washington, DC, 2010-10)Providing quality training that leads young people to jobs is critical for the economic and social development of the Province of Sindh, Pakistan. This working paper assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (STEVTA) as a provincial apex body in Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET). The recent establishment of STEVTA was a major step to reduce fragmentation of training policies and programs. The paper assesses the Authority's legal foundation, governance, management, organization, human resources, financial resources and management, and networking with external organizations. The institutional assessment finds that Government of Sindh and STEVTA need to: (i) strengthen its governance by establishing a clearer reporting structure for the management of the authority's director, and by increasing the involvement of the private sector in the board, (ii) enhance its institutional capacity through hiring of teachers in its institutions based upon increased funding and a sustainable HR rationalization plan for the system that is coordinated with planned physical investments in institutions, and (iii) build strong operational capacity by establishing rules of business and management information systems, and drafting a strategic plan. Lastly, to fully achieve its mandate, continued and consistent governmental support is essential to give STEVTA stability and funding to fulfill its mandate: employment through skills.Publication Strategic Reform Road-map for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector in West Bengal(Washington, DC, 2013-06)This report focuses on one of the key pillars of economic growth - namely, human development, and in particular, on skills development in West Bengal. It examines the current status of skills development, and potential ways forward for making the production of skills in the state more aligned to its economic growth needs. More specifically, the report investigates the characteristics of the technical and vocational education and training system that produces skills, how these skills match up in quantity and quality with what is in demand from employers in the organized and informal sectors, governance and quality assurance systems, emerging partnerships between the government and private providers of skills, and the availability of financial resources for skills development. Based on the findings from primary surveys, secondary data analysis, in-depth consultations with stakeholders, and declared policy priorities, the report provides a strategic framework and a time-based implementation road-map for reforming and reorienting technical and vocational education and training in West Bengal. This task was undertaken at the specific request of the new Government of West Bengal (GOWB) who took office in 2011. The GOWB wanted to know how to improve the quality of vocational and technical education and training in the state, and provide greater access to skill development to more young people. The request was formally transformed into a Non-Lending Technical Assistance (TA) with the Education Unit of the World Bank's New Delhi office. This report is one key output of the TA which covered a range of activities including bringing on board national and international expertise on various TVET issues, consultations with a variety of public and private sector stakeholders in the state, a series of learning and dissemination workshops, and partnerships with organizations who are engaged in this sector.Publication Technical Vocational Education and Training in Xinjiang(Washington, DC, 2013-01)This report documents progress, analyzes strengths and weaknesses of the Xinjiang Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system, and proposes recommendations that can be used to enrich policy dialogue and open opportunities for future cooperation between Xinjiang and the World Bank. The World Bank team discussed and agreed with the foreign capital project management office of the Xinjiang education department, the main counterpart for this study, on the selection criteria for the Principal Investigator (PI) responsible for data collection and the desk review of available documentation and interviews with key informants, including officials from related departments and representatives of training institutes and enterprises. This report is composed of three sections. The first section provides a brief overview and analysis of the Xinjiang setting, including economic trends, status of the workforce and TVET system. This is followed by a summary of the Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER)-Workforce Development (WfD) results including three dimensions, nine policy goals and 27 policy actions. Lastly, a brief policy analysis along with recommendations reflect upon the results of the SABER-WfD study by addressing key challenges and weaknesses of the Xinjiang TVET system in the context of Xinjiang's medium to long-term education and talent development plans. In medium to long-term, the quality of Xinjiang TVET system needs to be improved through enhanced governance, quality assurance and monitoring and evaluation, and through improved connections with quality basic education. The goal is to set up a flexible and diversified modern TVET system for a skilled workforce and to achieve the objectives of the Xinjiang medium and long-term education and talent development plans. Efforts also should be made to enable some TVET schools and programs to become recognized among the top level in China.Publication Post-Basic Education and Training in Rwanda : Skills Development for Dynamic Economic Growth(Washington, DC, 2013-02)Improved access to and quality of upper secondary schools, teacher training colleges, Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs), and demand-driven Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses to supply the demand for the higher-level skills and competencies relevant to labor market needs remains a central priority for the ministry of education in Rwanda. Since the original analysis and drafting of this report took place there have been a number of changes within the Post Basic Education and Training (PBET) sector and progress has been made on various areas of policy implementation discussed in the report. Most significantly, the government of Rwanda announced in 2010 that all students will be entitled to access fee-free education until the end of upper secondary school (or equivalent). This policy move addresses some of the concerns raised in the report to ensure that increasing numbers of basic education graduates can move on to PBET. This report provides a description of key aspects of the education sector as a whole with particular emphasis on quality improvement in basic education. The present report takes the perspective that Rwanda's PBET system is the country's principle mechanism for generating the skilled labor force needed to become a middle-income, knowledge- and expert-based economy. PBET in this report is defined as all formal education and training for which the entry requirement is the completion of at least basic education. This report is structured as follows: chapter one describes Rwanda's recent growth trends, ambitions for the future, and the role that skills development must play to ensure that these ambitions can be reached. Chapter two shows an analysis of the Rwandan labor market, exploring trends in both labor supply and demand, with an emphasis on the educational attainment of the labor force. Chapter three describes the context of PBET policies and strategies and the structure of the PBET system, highlighting the key features of its various segments. Chapter four focuses on the governance, management, and financing of the PBET system. Chapter five builds on the preceding chapters to offer a set of policy options that, when implemented, are expected to contribute to the promotion of a well-integrated and managed system.Publication Investing in Technical and Vocational Education and Training(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-04)Technical education and training has been dramatically expanding in Brazil recently. However, there remains no evidence on the cost effectiveness of this alternative track to a more general education. This paper quantifies the wage returns of completing technical and vocational education and training compared with the returns of completing the general education track, for individuals with similar observable characteristics. Exploring data from the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey, the paper profiles the students taking up this track and quantifies the impact of different types of technical and vocational education and training courses on individuals’ hourly wages. After controlling for selection on observables with propensity score matching, the analysis shows positive and statistically significant wage premiums for students completing technical school at the upper secondary level (on average 9.7 percent ) and for those completing short-term training courses (2.2 percent on average). The paper also documents significant heterogeneity of impacts depending on the courses and the profile of students. For realistic unitary costs of providing technical and vocational education and training, the evidence suggests technical education is a cost-effective modality. The courses offered by the publically financed and privately managed “Sistema S,” together with courses in the manufacturing area have the highest positive impacts.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication World Development Report 2019(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2019)Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report will study how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Technological progress disrupts existing systems. A new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s lifecycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to train or retool existing skills. A social protection system that includes a minimum basic level of protection for workers and citizens can complement new forms of employment. Improved private sector policies to encourage startup activity and competition can help countries compete in the digital age. Governments also need to ensure that firms pay their fair share of taxes, in part to fund this new social contract. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.Publication Zimbabwe(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-03-01)This report presents an assessment of Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector disaster risk and management capacity. The findings indicate that Zimbabwe is highly exposed to agricultural risks and has limited capacity to manage risk at various levels. The report shows that disaster-related shocks along Zimbabwe’s agricultural supply chains directly translate to volatility in agricultural GDP. Such shocks have a substantial impact on economic growth, food security, and fiscal balance. When catastrophic disasters occur, the economy absorbs the shocks, without benefiting from any instruments that transfer the risk to markets and coping ability. The increasing prevalence of ‘shock recovery-shock’ cycles impairs Zimbabwe’s ability to plan and pursue a sustainable development path. The findings presented here confirm that it is highly pertinent for Zimbabwe to strengthen the capacity to manage risk at various levels, from the smallholder farmer, to other participants along the supply chain, to consumers (who require a reliable, safe food supply), and ultimately to the government to manage natural disasters. The assessment provides the following evidence on sources of risks and plausible risk management solutions. It is our hope that the report contributes to action by the Government of Zimbabwe to adopt a proactive and integrated risk management strategy appropriate to the current structure of the agricultural sector.Publication Global Economic Prospects, January 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16)Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.Publication Supporting Youth at Risk(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008)The World Bank has produced this policy Toolkit in response to a growing demand from our government clients and partners for advice on how to create and implement effective policies for at-risk youth. The author has highlighted 22 policies (six core policies, nine promising policies, and seven general policies) that have been effective in addressing the following five key risk areas for young people around the world: (i) youth unemployment, underemployment, and lack of formal sector employment; (ii) early school leaving; (iii) risky sexual behavior leading to early childbearing and HIV/AIDS; (iv) crime and violence; and (v) substance abuse. The objective of this Toolkit is to serve as a practical guide for policy makers in middle-income countries as well as professionals working within the area of youth development on how to develop and implement an effective policy portfolio to foster healthy and positive youth development.Publication Ten Steps to a Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation System : A Handbook for Development Practitioners(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2004)An effective state is essential to achieving socio-economic and sustainable development. With the advent of globalization, there are growing pressures on governments and organizations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. Governments, parliaments, citizens, the private sector, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), civil society, international organizations, and donors are among the stakeholders interested in better performance. As demands for greater accountability and real results have increased, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects. This handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. These steps begin with a 'readiness assessment' and take the practitioner through the design, management, and importantly, the sustainability of such systems. The handbook describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way.