Let us fix the trainer to realise meaningful TVET reforms

Students on a practical lesson on how to properly cut cooper wire during refresher training course on refrigeration & air conditioning for women technicians in Kenya. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

There are several factors affecting the quality of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), particularly in generating workers with qualified knowledge and skills. The quality of trainers is the most salient factor. Trainers are the backbone of countries' economic development and therefore their professionalisation is widely regarded as a critical issue that affects the effectiveness of TVET in generating skilled workers. It is also widely agreed that the quality of any training system ultimately depends on the quality of interactions and relationships that occur between trainees and trainers. Therefore, the quality of trainers' training is crucial to determine the skills of future workforce.

UNESCO's 2015 recommendation concerning TVET recognises the crucial role of training staff in assuring quality and relevance, hence policies and frameworks should be developed to ensure qualified and high-quality staff, including instructors and trainers. The recommendation asks Member States to build the necessary institutional capacities to ensure the relevance of TVET to current and evolving needs in the world of work, nationally, regionally and internationally, including those implied by the transitions to green occupations, economies and societies.