Skills to Build

The project

The Project 'Skills to Build' facilitates a private-public, modular technical skills training and certification for un-/employed, vulnerable youth and existing low-skilled workers and shop owners to create employment opportunities. The project may later explore other productive areas for competence development in addition to the construction sector. For the period of 2021-2024, training programs include masonry, plumbing, sewage, real estate canalization, water and sanitation, electricity, construction and maintenance of roads, painting, tiling, safety, industrial cleaning, environment & health.

The project is based on the hypothesis that the development of skills and competencies for employment and self-employment will help young men and women to find better jobs and, therefore, achieve better incomes, therefore contributing to greater economic and social equity in the country.

Opportunities for construction workers to find or improve wage for employment/self-employment, are expanded by vocational and occupational guidance, workplace experience and co-responsibility assumed by public and private actors to promote innovative technical training that responds to the market demand.

The project aims to contribute to the structuring of the vocational training system mainly through a training with specific curricula, intended for people who have so far been excluded from the formal education system or for adults in the formal or informal labour market in the construction sector.

By offering quality vocational training through these specialised centres, the sustainability of training will be enabled. The training is carried out through the different vocational training centres who are partners of the project. The practical part takes place partly in the centre itself, and another part on the construction sites or in the facilities that require professional intervention in the area where the young people are trained. The aim is to link technical skills training with the demands and involvement of the private sector to guarantee the relevance of the training, as well as to facilitate real labour insertion.

Activities

1. Initial skills development provision for unemployed, vulnerable youth - The project will target 4,500 unemployed vulnerable youth (30% women)

• Strengthening the capacity of vocational training centres (public / private), through training of trainers, curricula development and exchange of knowledge.
• Exploring different training modalities such as practical trainings on construction sites, but also flexible teaching schedules and programmes (modular competence-based training allowing progress towards graduation – “no termination without a connection”).

2. Labour market insertion (internships and labour market inclusion, as also entrepreneurship course) 2,430 skilled youth will access to the labour market.

• Strengthening the capacity of vocational training centres (public / private), through training of trainers, curricula development and exchange of knowledge.
• Engaging the public and private business sectors
• Entrepreneurship: support young people to create self-employment options once they finish their professionalization courses and access to financial services.

3. Competence-based certification for already employed construction workers or workshop owners: 500 unskilled active workers (workshop owners and workers employed by construction companies, thereof 10% women)

• recognition within selected training centres supervised by ANEP.
• Certification is to formally recognize the work competencies of individuals, regardless of how they have been acquired and whether they have a degree or academic qualifications.

4. Dialogue with public and private stakeholders to increase ownership and anchoring skills training in national TVET framework.

Project partners

• Federation of Associations of Construction Companies (FME)
• Contractor Associations of Maputo City and Province
• National Authority for Professional Education (ANEP)
• National Youth Council (CNJ)
• Training Centres - public and private
• Pedagogical University (UP)
• Private companies
• Don Bosco Higher Institute

Financing partners

This project is financed by Christa Foundation, among other donors. As part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, it is co-financed by SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA).