TVET institutes in East Africa have established strong collaborations with industry, resulting in improved graduate employment across the region. Graduate employment, among 16 Regional Flagship Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania – under the World Bank–funded East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP) – has risen to 80 per cent within six months of graduation. This is up from 47 per cent before the project began. The gains are also evident for women, with female graduate employment improving from 51 per cent to 74 per cent.
The results were revealed during the Africa Skills for Jobs Policy Academy, organised by the World Bank in collaboration with the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and held in Nairobi from 30 September to 3 October 2025.
“Our experience has shown that when we align training to the needs of industry, young people get jobs quickly. The 16 Flagship TVET Institutes for Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, under EASTRIP, have established partnerships with more than 300 private sector companies to assist in curriculum design. This ensures that what students learn in classrooms matches what employers demand in the workplace, said Dr. Cosam Joseph, EASTRIP Regional Project Coordinator at IUCEA.
The 16 TVET Institutes have established over 300 partnerships with private sector companies to design over 500 new demand-driven programs, ranging from renewable energy and geothermal science to aviation, transport logistics, manufacturing, and hospitality.
In Kenya, the KenGen Geothermal Training Centre has established a regional centre of excellence in geothermal technology. In Tanzania, the National Institute of Transport launched aviation and logistics courses, with graduates now working in regional airlines. General Wingate Polytechnic in Ethiopia expanded into manufacturing and leather technology, linking young people directly to local industries.
“In aviation and the broader transport sector, we have partnered with airlines and logistics firms to design training programmes. Our graduates are being absorbed by industry almost immediately after graduation,” said Eng. Dr. Prosper L. Mgaya, Rector of the National Institute of Transport, Tanzania.
“Our training model is industry-based because our KenGen Geothermal Training Center is part of KenGen, the electricity generation company in Kenya. This allows us to give students real work experience as part of the training to prepare specialists who can step directly into critical roles in the renewable energy sector,” Ms. Risper Kandie, a Geologist and Centre Leader, KenGen Geothermal Training Centre, Kenya
“With support from the World Bank, through EASTRIP, KenGen Geothermal Training Centre has transformed from an inhouse training unit of KenGen to a fully-fledged TVET Institute,” said Kandie.
As a result, student enrolment in the 16 Regional Flagship TVET Institutes increased from 6,971 to 57,857, with women making up about 19,000 of the students, a breakthrough in attracting female learners to technical fields long dominated by men.
“We began with only six programmes. Today we run over twenty demand-driven programmes developed with industries. The partnership model has made our graduates more attractive to employers and reduced drop-out rates,” said Zekarias Gebre Belayneh, Project & International Relations Coordinator, General Wingate Polytechnic College, Ethiopia.
“As an employer, I can state that our collaboration with TVET Institutes in Ethiopia has bridged the gap between training and employment. We now receive graduates who are industry-ready because they were trained using real production settings and industry-designed curricula,” said Mr. Belachew Admasu Alemu, Managing Director, Sheraton Addis, Ethiopia.
Through the project, countries in East Africa, are strengthening collaboration through the the Regional TVET Qualifications Framework and 204 mutually recognised qualifications, enabling graduates to work across borders without barriers. This harmonisation is paving the way for a common East African labour market.
“The Regional TVET Qualification Framework allows employers in Tanzania to recruit TVET graduates trained in Kenya or Ethiopia, and vice versa, with confidence that their qualifications meet the required standards,” said Dr. Cosam Joseph.
Movement of students between the three countries has also increased, with more than 2,000 students crossing borders to study in neighbouring countries up from just 31 when the project began.
“We have been to exchange students and staff with other TVET institutes in East Africa. Students from Tanzania and Ethiopia have come to our institute to study together with Kenyans, exchange ideas, and build networks that will serve them for life,” Mr. Evans Onyango, Head of Research and Innovations at Kisumu National Polytechnic.
Ends
The Africa Skills for Jobs Policy Academy brings together around 250 participants from more than 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Delegations include representatives from the Ministries responsible for Finance or Economy, TVET/skills development and agencies and private sector representatives.
Participants will engage through keynotes, panels, case studies, field visits, and peer learning—gaining tools to assess demand, governance, industry linkages, financing, micro-credentials, and technology integration.
The programme supports countries in repositioning TVET as a flexible, inclusive, and demand-driven system for skilling, reskilling, and upskilling at scale.
The Academy provides a platform to reimagine Africa’s skills development ecosystem, focusing on:
Skills demand and economic/sectoral policies
Employer engagement and job placement
Skills supply systems, including governance, financing, quality standards, digital transformation, M&E.
School-to-work transitions for youth.
ABOUT THE WORLD BANK GROUP
The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of financial and technical assistance to developing countries. It is Made up of five institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). It works with partners in more than 100 countries to reduce poverty, promote sustainable development, and foster inclusive growth. Its mission is to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity on a liveable planet.
ABOUT IUCEA
The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) is an institution of the East African Community (EAC), established by the IUCEA Act 2009. IUCEA provides a platform for networking among universities in East Africa and beyond, serving as a forum for dialogue on higher education matters in the region. Its mandate is to advise EAC Partner States on higher education and works to ensure internationally comparable education standards that enhance the region’s competitiveness. Membership is open to universities, university colleges, and degree-awarding institutions duly incorporated in any EAC Partner States.
