Advancing Skills Development in Mozambique

Celebrating Progress: 2021–2024 Achievements

Since 2021, the Skills to Build project has significantly enhanced access to quality technical and vocational education and training (TVET) by transitioning from a theory-heavy curriculum to a competency-based approach. This model equips learners with practical, job-ready skills tailored to the demands of Mozambique’s private sector.

Key highlights include:

• Training Impact: 5,392 youths (25% women) trained in nine CBT-aligned centers.
• Capacity Building: 86 sessions conducted to enhance trainers' psych pedagogical competencies, with 22% women participants.
• Internships and Employment: 1,607 internships facilitated (22% women), leading to 1,125 employment opportunities (10% women).
• Entrepreneurship Promotion: 308 graduates equipped with entrepreneurship skills.
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Certification provided to 38 workers, 9 training centers adopting RPL, and 58 trainers trained in the methodology.

These achievements underscore Swisscontact’s commitment to bridging the gap between technical education and labor market needs, fostering employability and economic inclusion for vulnerable youth.

Insights and Collaboration

Panel Discussions: The event featured two panels, each offering valuable insights:

1. Competency-Based Training and Recognition of Prior Learning:
   • Shared experiences from CBT implementation.
   • Explored labor market alignment and challenges in scaling the RPL model.
   • Highlighted initial successes, including the development of a normative framework for RPL.
2. Private Sector Partnerships for Internships:
   • Emphasized Swisscontact's role in linking training institutions with industry partners.
   • Celebrated the successful placement of 1,607 trainees in internships, showcasing the transformative power of practical learning opportunities.

Keynote Address by Professor Dr. Jorge Penicel Nhambiu

Professor Nhambiu underscored the importance of aligning CBT with labor market needs and international standards while addressing challenges such as infrastructure, internet access, and active engagement of stakeholders. He emphasized that Mozambique’s Vocational Education Reform presents a strategic opportunity to create a more effective, inclusive, and globally relevant TVET system.

This event reaffirmed Swisscontact and its partners' shared vision of vocational education as a cornerstone of sustainable development and social inclusion. By strengthening collaboration among training institutions, companies, and government agencies, Swisscontact is contributing to a more robust skills development ecosystem, empowering young people to tackle Mozambique’s economic and social challenges with confidence and optimism.

About Swisscontact in Mozambique

Swisscontact fosters inclusive economic, social, and environmental development, enabling individuals to access improved employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Through the Skills to Build project, Swisscontact continues to support Mozambique’s efforts to align vocational training with labor market demands, ensuring that education remains a powerful tool for change.

This milestone event is part of the Skills to Build project, supported by the Linsi, Happel, and Medicor Foundations, and Swisscontact's Development Program, co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).