African countries have been urged to invest in industrial skill development through training so as to compete effectively in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
In a three-day educational conference, Partnership for Skills in Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (PASET) held in Nairobi and attended by several African countries, it was resolved that there is need to increase fund allocations towards training and skills development in the Technical and Vocational training colleges (TVET) in order to meet the required skilled labour force.
“African countries need to attract more resources and invest in training, research, and innovation,’’ said the Rwandan Minister for Education Claudette Irere.
It was noted that in the past, the organisation has been targeting and supporting university students and postgraduates in their scholarship, but now the attention is shifting towards technical and vocational training students.
Thus, this year’s theme emphasised the importance of utilising technical and vocational training in a knowledge and skills ecosystem for Africa’s industrialization.
Irere, who is also the current PASET chair, said African countries will reap big if they invest in their youth through TVET institutions by providing them with industry-guided skills, where the training institutions are linked with industries for practical learning to avoid skills mismatch.
On his part, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Education Ezekiel Machogu stressed the need for African collaboration in all education matters saying it was time the continent came together to address issues of industrial development.
Machogu said Africa never featured prominently in all the first phases of industrial revolutions adding, “There were the first, second and third industrial revolutions; Africa never featured; we are now in the fourth revolution and we need to be counted.
In his final proposal to the participating Countries, while closing the Three-day conference at safari park hotel in Nairobi, the CS said there is need for resource mobilization, harmonization of TVET training across Africa, capacity build trainers and infusion of industries in Tvet training .
