NUST concludes second TVET Symposium
The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) recently concluded the second Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Symposium in Windhoek.
The event – held under the theme ‘TVET Transformation Trends in Namibia’ – was hosted by the Department of TVET under the School of Human Sciences and the Faculty of Commerce, Human Sciences and Education, and was sponsored by GIZ ProTVET.
Well-attended by 70 in-person and over 100 online attendees, the symposium brought together stakeholders to evaluate the progress made in implementing Namibia’s 2021 TVET Policy. The event discussed challenges and opportunities in the sector while interrogating the issue of benchmarking against international standards and how to foster greater stakeholder buy-in for ongoing reforms.
Through various engagements, which included addresses and panel discussions, the symposium further underscored the critical role of TVET in Namibia’s economic development by advocating for a unified approach to implement the 2021 policy, enhancing the visibility of reforms within the ecosystem, sharing best practices and recommendations for modernising the sector and strengthening collaborations between institutions and industries.
In his keynote address, NUST senior lecturer of TVET Dr Godfrey Tubaundule warned of the danger of focusing solely on short-term economic outcomes – rather than long-term societal benefits - when speaking of the TVET sector.
‘Systematic issues’
“The systematic issues within the sector persist despite the legal and policy frameworks in place. Graduate unemployment remains a significant challenge, with many TVET graduates unable to secure meaningful work in their fields of study.”
Tubaundule further addressed issues of skills and capacity in the sector, saying: “As a result [of the focus on labour market demands], graduates are often inadequately prepared for sustainable livelihoods and meaningful contributions to society”.
The Deputy Director for TVET at the Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation, Mr Abraham Ndakolute, noted that “from a policy perspective, the Government is doing its part, [however], the interpretation and implementation of the policy objectives on the ground are different. The willingness to embrace the policy [to build the TVET ecosystem in Namibia] is a challenge”.
Ndakolute encouraged stakeholders “to study the policy objectives and do research about them to ensure that implementation is effective”.
The university’s Department of TVET has announced that the discussions, presentations and key takeaways from the symposium - including actionable recommendations – will be published soon and shared with stakeholders in the form of a policy brief.