UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

04/16/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/16/2024 11:43

New phase of ‘Better Education for Africa’s Rise’ project begins in four countries

The start of the new phase will be marked with a launch event in Abuja, Nigeria on 16 and 17 April 2024.

The overarching objective of the BEAR III project is to increase the skills and employability of young people in Africa. In line with this main goal, the project is built upon three key pillars. The first one is to make making TVET more relevant to the needs of the economy and the labour market by supporting national actors to develop training curricula that are responsive to the market demand for skills. The second pillar is to enhance the quality of TVET delivered to trainees by building teaching staff and institutional capacity. The third objective is to improve perceptions of TVET among young people, enterprises, and society to increase its attractiveness as an educational option.

Across the four countries, the project targets supporting at least 16 TVET centres, providing capacity-building for 1,000 stakeholders, training 400 instructors, and organizing 20 initiatives to enhance the perception of TVET. The formulation phase of the BEAR III project, consisted of extensive groundwork, including scoping missions and pre-validation workshops in each beneficiary country. This phase involved wide consultations with stakeholders, resulting in the development of tailored country-specific work plans, underpinned by a sectoral approach to address the unique challenges of each country's Technical and Vocational Education and Training landscape.

Strengthening TVET systems across Africa

BEAR III builds upon the groundwork laid by BEAR I and II projects, as well as the national and regional development plans and priorities of each beneficiary country. The former BEAR II project significantly boosted TVET systems in Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda.

The BEAR II achieved significant advancements in bolstering TVET systems, including: the strengthening of 59 TVET institutions' infrastructure through the provision of essential equipment and training of 1,739 teaching staff; improving their capabilities to effectively deliver online and distance learning; benefiting 1,899 TVET officials, leaders, and representatives from the private sector; and supporting the development or revision of curricula, subsequently delivered to more than 2,000 TVET learners.

The launch of the BEAR III project signifies a major step forward in bolstering TVET systems across West Africa. Drawing from the achievements of BEAR I and II, this new phase is set to achieve impact by aligning with the development goals of beneficiary countries. Through targeted efforts to enhance the relevance, quality, and appeal of TVET, the project aims to meet the evolving needs of both the economy and society. Fostering collaboration among stakeholders and leveraging the expertise of UNESCO partners will be key to the success of BEAR III and the advancement of TVET in the region.

Looking ahead, the establishment of technical teams in BEAR III countries will be essential in ensuring implementation of project activities. National-level launches involving all stakeholders will be essential to gain support and commitment for the project's objectives. Through its ongoing collaboration, UNESCO aims to continue to transform TVET systems across the region.