Announcement of World Bank Supports Technical and Vocational Education on March 21, 2006

World Bank Supports Technical and Vocational Education Contacts: In Washington: Aby Toure 202 473 8302 akonate@worldbank.org In Mozambique: Rafael Saute (258-1) 482 300 rsaute@worldbank.org WASHINGTON, March 21, 2006 – The World Bank Board of Directors today approved an International Development Association (IDA) credit(1) of US$30 million to support the technical and vocational education and training reform efforts of the government and emphasizes relevant skills development as a means to improve economic opportunities and reduce poverty. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training project (TVET) will contribute to the transition of the existing technical and vocational education and training system to a demand-led training system providing the beneficiaries with more market relevant skills and improved economic opportunities. It will help raise the educational level of the general population, minimize the negative effects of HIV/AIDS and increase the skills and employability of the workforce. The project supports the Government’s longer term vision of transforming the TVET system into a system that responds to emerging labor market needs in a sustainable, integrated, effective, flexible and equitable manner. The project is expected to improve access to post-primary education, increase graduation of Mozambicans with the skills, practices, and attitudes needed to fill technical positions, and create value-added knowledge and innovation in production which will help overcome the problem of Mozambique shortage of skilled and qualified persons needed in the labor market, particularly in key sectors of the economy. Critical issues of gender and HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation activities are incorporated in the project design and implementation of activities. “The project will have a great impact on poverty through enhancement of competitiveness and productivity in key economic sectors and increased opportunities for gainful employment and earnings in the formal and informal sectors,” said Alexandria Valerio, the World Bank Task Team Leader of the project. “It supports the Bank’s effort to develop the private sector and increase access, as well as the quality of basic, secondary and higher education”, Valerio added. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training project will have four components: The first component – Development of an Institutional Framework – aims to reform the governance and management structures for the training system and develop options for the reform of a system of financing in collaboration with the relevant industry representatives and social partners. The second component – Establishment of a Standards-based Qualification and Assessment System – will help transform the current curriculum-based TVET system into a system based on competencies and occupational standards to ensure that enterprises and industry representatives in the workplace have a strong influence on the definition of competencies and training content. It will also ensure that a transparent and legitimate assessment system is established, and that target groups with different training and learning background are able to access the TVET learning system and get recognition for their skills and previously acquired learning. The third component – Quality Improvement in Training Institutions – will fund the development and piloting of new learning materials, teacher in-service and pre-service training, improvement of management capacity, and relevant upgrading of teaching facilities to respond to the new modularized training course programs base on occupational standards. The last component – Skills Development Fund – will finance training innovative initiatives on a competitive basis to improve the quality and relevance of formal and informal courses and will increase access to employment-oriented TVET for underserved population groups. For all components, steps have been taken to ensure that issues of gender equity and HIV/AIDS are appropriately taken into consideration through: (i) establishing a HIV/AIDS and gender coordination desk in the executive secretariat of the Executive Commission for Professional Education and Training Reform, (ii) developing specific gender and HIV/AIDS standards, modules and training materials, (iii) ensuring that HIV/AIDS awareness training courses are made accessible to all learners and teachers in the pilot schools an where possible, more widely in the larger network of TVET institutions and (iv) providing financial support to those training providers that have developed and implemented institutional HIV/AIDS prevention and workplace plans and gender policies. The Netherlands will contribute US$7.5 million through co-financing with the Bank while other partners are providing technical and financial support directly to the Government’s TVET program. (1) The credit is provided on standard International Development Association (IDA) terms, with a commitment fee of 0.35 percent, a service charge of 0.75 percent over a 40 year period of maturity which includes a 10-year grace period. ### For more information on the World Bank’s work in sub-Saharan Africa visit: http://www.worldbank.org/afr For more information about World Bank’s activities in the Mozambique country Website For more information about this project visit the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project Website