Manica Province offers a landscape shaped by fertile highlands, busy border markets, and a productive sector that is steadily diversifying. From the agricultural belts around Chimoio to the bustling cross-border trade corridors, opportunities for skilled labour are growing - yet many young people still struggle to access quality training that connects them to meaningful work.
This local reality underscores the relevance of the Skills to Build expansion: a programme designed to strengthen vocational training systems so they respond directly to the labour demands of key sectors such as Agriculture, Livestock, Civil Construction, Electricity, and Mechanical Maintenance. These sectors remain essential engines for the province’s sustainable economic growth.
Speaking at the launch, Régula Chavez-Malgiaritta, Country Director of Swisscontact Mozambique, emphasised the organisation’s commitment to locally grounded, partnership-driven development:
The third phase of the project introduces targeted interventions that reinforce competency-based training across participating institutions. Through co-financing mechanisms and scholarships for equipment and consumables, TVET centres are better equipped to offer practical, hands-on learning. The integration of internships in local companies and workshops further ensures that students strengthen their skills directly in real workplace environments, a critical bridge between training and employment that has proven effective in earlier phases in Maputo.
Representing the Secretary of State in Manica Province, Xavier Isidoro, Director of the Provincial Health Service, noted that the Skills to Build III Project reinforces the government’s commitment to improving vocational education. He highlighted that the programme brings renewed hope by upgrading young people’s qualifications and positioning them to participate more competitively in Manica’s labour market.
With support from the project donors, Swisscontact continues to champion a comprehensive approach: strengthening institutions, improving training quality, and expanding opportunities for young people to secure employment or start their own enterprises.
By extending the Skills to Build model from Maputo City and Province into Manica, Swisscontact reinforces a vision of vocational training that is practical, market-relevant, and anchored in local opportunity. In a province where agriculture thrives, where border trade fuels daily livelihoods, and where young people are seeking pathways to build their futures, this new phase arrives at a crucial moment.
Swisscontact remains committed to working with partners to ensure that Manica’s youth - its greatest resource - gain the skills they need to shape the province’s economic and social development for years to come.
This project is financed by the Medicor Foundation, Happel Foundation, and Linsi-Foundation, among other donors. It is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.