Lord Hollick and British High Commissioner

 

 

VETA Mtwara Hosting Lord Hollick and British High Commissioner for a project visit

Diana Melrose; British High Commissioner (C) together with food production students in a group photo

Lord Hollick (C) and Claude - VSO food production advisor (L) during a discussion in a new kitchen which was  constructed by VETA and all new equipment were supported by EEVT project

Salome Makamba (L); Community Liaison Officer from Tanzania LNG taking her share of cake during the  visit to Food production kitchen - VETA Mtwara

Diana Melrose; British High Commissioner (C) during her  visit motor vehicle mechanics

Lord Hollick (R) during his  visit in Motor vehicle mechanics

Diana Melrose (British High Commissioner - L) together with Lord Hollick (third from left) during a visit to EEVT  project at VETA Mtwara

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENTARY SOCIAL SERVICE COMMITTEE; A VISIT TO EEVT PROJECT AT VETA MTWARA

 

Regional Director (South East Zone for VETA) Mr. Soko, giving answers to questions posed by MPs about the EEVT project and VETA in general

Hon. J. Mhagama giving clarifications to MPs during a meeting at VETA Mtwara

Hon. Prof. Kahigi (MP) giving remarks and asking questions for clarifications during a meeting after workshop tour

Chairperson of the Social Service Committee, Hon. M. Sitta giving remarks during the visit to VETA Mtwara for EEVT project

Hon. J. Mhagama in a photo with Dora - Public Relation Officer; VETA HQ

Hon. J. Mhagama in a photo with Mr. J. Kibehele (VETA Mtwara Principal) at the food preparation kitchen

MPs at the food preparation kitchen where EEVT project is also implemented.

MPs during their tour to the work where EEVT project is implemented

Members of Parliamentary Social Service Committee, VETA staff and Deputy Minister (MoVET) in a group photos at VETA Mtwara.

Deputy Minister of MoEVT, J. Mhagama (L) giving remarks during the short briefing the meeting at VETA Mtwara
 

VETA Students at Mtwara Port

Dennis (R) and Justine (L) the former VETA students working at the gas company - ASCO at the port as taken during project at the port

Welding screen is part of the health, safety and environment procedure during welding process.

Welding and fabrication is one of the skills required by gas companies

One of the former students from VETA employed by gas company at Mtwara port.
 

PRESS RELEASE - Vocational Skills Gaps for the Tanzanian Oil and Gas Sector

Press Release

Dar es Salaam, 5^th November 2013 – The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), the Vocational Education Training Authority (VETA), BG Tanzania and VSO jointly organized yesterday a workshop on the vocational skills gaps for the growing Tanzanian oil and gas sector. The aim of the workshop was to share, discuss and validate the conclusions of an in-depth assessment study of the vocational training gaps that has been conducted by BG in collaboration with VETA, Stow College and VSO in the last 3 months.

Tanzania is currently facing a significant gap between the skills the economy needs and the skills the education system delivers. In order to meet Government aspirations for Tanzania to become a Middle Income Country by 2025, as set out in its Vision 2025, there needs to be an overall increase of 20% of medium skilled labour, especially in certified trades and crafts.  This is particularly evident in gas sector related skills, where without further training very few are likely to be able to access employment opportunities beyond the lowest level of skills.

 

The workshop was chaired by the Director of Technical and Vocational Training of the MoEVT, Mr. Thomas Dickson Katebalirwe, and involved more than 60 representatives from Government, private sector, donor partners and civil society.  

The workshop concluded the following:  

-       The largest numbers of direct and indirect employment opportunities in relation to the emerging gas sector will be generated during the construction of infrastructure, including a potential LNG development estimated to commence 2016/17. Most of these opportunities will be of a vocational nature.

-       There are a number of transferable vocational trades (eg pipe welding, carpentry, electrician) which have been identified as being relevant to the emerging gas sector which would provide the country with a sustainable asset that could benefit the country’s development more generally.

-       There are already a number of VETA institutes providing training in these transferable vocational trades to around 17,000 students. In the short term, the priority focus should therefore be on improving the quality of these programmes to ensure that these and subsequently enrolled students become employable graduates. Ensuring these programmes meet international industry standards is critical.

-       There is a clear role for industry to support these efforts, but achieving these ambitious objectives will require a wider collaboration between government, industry, NGOs, practitioners and development partners.

-       There are already several Tanzanian successes being delivered with existing resources, including among others, VETA’s existing partnership programme with BG Tanzania and VSO in Mtwara and Lindi. These are delivering impressive results in terms of improvements in both quality and capacity. There is a need for a coordination mechanism to be set up to enhance dialogue with key actors and consolidate and scale up these Tanzanian successes.

The Director of Technical and Vocational Training of the MoEVT welcomed the coordination efforts and said that “the MoEVT was committed to further invest in technical and vocational education training and coordinate  efforts of various stakeholders in the field”.

VETA director of training Leah Lukindo emphasized on the “willingness of VETA to reinforce its links with the industry to make the VETA curriculum more relevant to their needs”.

 BG East Africa Vice President for Sustainability Kathryn McPhail said “BG was delighted to be working in partnership with VETA and VSO to enhance the employability of local people in Tanzania and that current initiatives taken by BG Tanzania in Mtwara and Lindi were already showing positive effects.”

VSO country director Jean Van Wetter “welcomed the willingness from stakeholders to coordinate their efforts and highlighted that the current workshop was just the beginning of more collaboration in the sector”.

 

Another workshop will be organized in the coming weeks to set-up agreed coordination mechanisms and start to scale up successful initiatives.

For more information, please contact:
1. BG Tanzania: Kate Sullam, Social Performance Manager at PCATanzania@bg-group.com
2. VETA: Leah Lukindo, Director of Training, at leahdotto@yahoo.com
3. VSO: Jean Van Wetter, Country Director, at jean.vanwetter@vsoint.org

WORKSHOP ON VOCATIONAL SKILLS GAPS STUDY IN THE TANZANIAN GAS & OIL SECTOR - DAR (ILO OFFICE) BY VETA, VSO TANZANIA, BG TANZANIA AND ILO

VSO Tanzania staff with an invited member (lady) posing for  the group photo after concluding the workshop on vocational gaps skills study in Tanzanian oil and gas sector at ILO head office in Dar.

An outside photo for some staff from VSO Tanzania and invited member in front of the workshop poster at ILO head office in Dar

Mr. Thomas Katebalirwe (Director of Technical and Vocational Education and Training - Ministry of Education and Vocational training) giving closing remarks after constructive and promising discussion on vocational gaps skills study on Tanzanian gas and oil sector at ILO head office in Dar.

M&E Programme Manager (VSO Tanzania - Russell Gates) giving an overview and wrap ups of the discussion to the participants on vocational gaps skills study on Tanzanian gas and oil sector at ILO head office in Dar.

Director of Vocational Education and Training - VETA (L. Lukindo - R) giving clarifications to some of the issues and comments from the invited participants

Representative from Statoil (one of the oil and gas exploration company) giving his comments and remarks on the report

Invited members continue to give their inputs to the report

Invited participants giving their comments and inputs to the vocational gaps skills study

Remarks delivery from Jean Van Wetter (VSO Tanzania)

Jean Van Wetter (VSO Tanzania-Country Director) delivering his remarks during the presentation of the study in ILO head office - Dar

L-R; Generali Ulimwengu (moderator), Kate Sullam (BG Tanzania) and Jean Van Wetter (VSO Tanzania) as seen taking a very close follow up of the study 

Presentation of key findings from the study

Some of the invited members taking part and follow up the presentation of the vocational skills gaps in Tanzanian gas and oil sector, ILO office in Dar

Kate Sullam (BG Tanzania's Social Performance Manager) giving remarks to participants before the presentation of the study at ILO head office in Dar

Moderator of the discussion; Generali Ulimwengu taking a follow up of the presentation

Vice President of East Africa BG (front) and Jean (VSO Country Director) making a close follow up of the study presentation (not seen) at ILO head office

Representative from Ministry of Energy and Minerals delivering his official opening speech prior the start of the presentation at ILO head office

The Director of Vocational Training Education (VETA) L. Lukindo delivering her remarks prior the presentation of the study results at ILO head office - Dar

 

WORKSHOP ON VOCATIONAL GAPS SKILLS IN TANZANIAN GAS & OIL SECTOR - DAR

SUMMARY AND RATIONALE OF THE WORKSHOP EVENT

With the discoveries of gas in the offshore of Tanzania and more specifically in Southern part of Tanzania (Mtwara and Lindi), a number of speculations and uncertainties emerged as the result of what exactly is all about when it comes into gas opportunities. Very limited job opportunities might be available in the direct gas operations. But related and trickledown opportunities are said to account for more than 75 per cent of gas activities. Gas sector as new in Tanzania is still struggling with a number of key information that communities would need to know. For instance, production of gas is said by the experts to have taken around 20 -35 years since explorations and discoveries and until construction of LNG plant (liquidified natural gas) and gas product.

 However, in the course of this process (from discovery until product of gas) a number of job opportunities may be created which would require a number of skilled labors in the gas and oil job markets. Skilled labor in the oil and gas sector is one of the critical areas that the EEVT project is attempting to address by preparing the youth and other people to be equipped with craftsmanship skills relevant to gas and oil related sector.

In this 4^th of November 2013, VETA, VSO, ILO and BG Tanzania commissioned the STOW College to conduct an in-depth vocational skills gaps study in Tanzanian oil and gas sector. The workshop was held at ILO head office in Dar-es-salaam with participation of a number of partners in employers, gas companies, media people, financial organizations and amongst others. The discussion was moderated by a prominent Journalist and activist – Generali Ulimwengu. The study was meant to identify the skills gaps in Tanzanian gas and oil sector with the proposed mitigation on the same. VETA Tanzania has been identified as the potential partner in creating craftsmanship skills in the Tanzanian gas and oil sector under EEVT project. Therefore, the study also focused on how VETA can provide relevant skills compatible to the demands on employers in the Tanzanian gas and oil sector.

FINDINGS

The findings were based on the following three major areas

1.      Availability of VET facilities and resources

2.      Capacity of VET systems and

3.      Quality of VET deliveries

CONLCUSION AND WAY

• Quality as the priority at the international level
• Industry participation in the EEVT project and the sector at large
• To scale up the project
• Coordination and dialogue with other partners
• Another meeting will be held in the near future with more focus on the way forward about coordination and how such challenges can be addressed collaboratively.

AN OVERALL FINDING
The research survey has shown that VET systems face a number of challenges from curriculums relevant on gas sector, teacher qualifications, entry qualifications, inadequacy of facilities/infrastructures, low participation of gas employers in VETA to practical/apprenticeship programs. However, it was quite obvious that of all the challenges identified it was the apprenticeship training program which seemed a pivotal to discussion.

Most of the VETA students and more specifically from the EEVT project do not have competency in practical operations in gas and oil sector. The participants went further by identifying that the practical competency was not only the VETA challenge but even more on other education institutions. The study has also proposed the VET system to consider more on competency based assessment than academic based assessment in order to fit in the skills of the gas and oil job markets.