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The future of work in Africa: implications for secondary education and TVET systems

The objective of this background paper is to try to determine, in light of the likely disruptive evolution of techn... Show more
The objective of this background paper is to try to determine, in light of the likely disruptive evolution of technology and global trade and urbanisation, what African countries should do to provide productive jobs for their large and fast-growing youth population. The focus is on secondary education from the age of 13 to 21 years. It includes both academic-oriented secondary schools (both lower and higher) and technical and vocational training institutes (TVETs). In terms of age, we are referring to education from year 13 to 21. The review aims to answer the following questions: What are the jobs that are likely to be available or the jobs that African countries should target in the future, i.e. by 2030, in light of: (a) evolving disruptive technological changes and expected [Fourth Industrial Revolution] 4IR impacts and (b) countries' own natural comparative advantages? What growth strategies should African countries adopt to pursue these job opportunities? What changes should African countries make to their secondary level education systems to prepare graduates to successfully take advantage of the productive opportunities, including in the informal sector and agriculture, in the face of the evolving landscape?
The review stays at the macro level in terms of the types of jobs for which Africa should prepare its secondary school graduates to be able to acquire - the types of institutions and training programmes needed and the balance and linkages between them. The review does not discuss micro-level issues of how to run particular institutions and training programmes. The study methodology is largely based on an extensive desk review of the literature. It also includes two case studies: Ghana and Senegal, which explore employment prospects in three key economic sectors (ICT, hospitality and agri-business) and the implications for the secondary education and TVET systems in each country.
Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Authors: Brown, Edward K.; Slater, Helen

Date: 2018

Geographic subjects: Africa; Senegal; Ghana

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: Secondary education in Africa: preparing youth for the future of work (Mastercard Foundation)

Subjects: Youth; Labour market; Skills and knowledge ... [+] Show more
The development of technical and vocational education in Africa: case studies from selected countries

Between 1993 and 1995, case studies were undertaken in the African region focusing on two major areas of growing im... Show more
Between 1993 and 1995, case studies were undertaken in the African region focusing on two major areas of growing importance in technical and vocational education: (1) the role of technical and vocational education in educational systems; and (2) policy and legislation in technical and vocational education to enhance cooperation with the world of work. This publication aims to facilitate the achievement of UNESCO's goals of fostering the international exchange of ideas, experiences and studies on policy issues and facilitating access to data bases and documentation. The chapters are: Technical and vocational education in Africa: a synthesis of case studies / B. Wanjala Kerre; Technical and vocational education in Cameroon / Lucy Mbangwana; Technical and vocational education in the Congo / Gilbert Ndimina; Technical and vocational education in Ghana / F. A. Baiden; Technical and vocational education in Kenya / Peter Okaka; Technical and vocational education in Madagascar / Victor Manantsoa; Technical and vocational education in Nigeria / E. T. Ehiametalor; Technical and vocational education in Zimbabwe / N. N. Munetsi; Education, training and employment in Burkina Faso / Joseph Kabore; Cooperation between technical and vocational education institutions and enterprises in Cote d'Ivoire / Aska Kouadio; Cooperation between technical and vocational education institutions and enterprises in Senegal / Oumar Sock; Cooperation between technical and vocational education institutions and enterprises in Swaziland / B. S. Mndebele and L. B. Lukhele; Cooperation between technical and vocational education institutions and enterprises in Uganda / E. Lugujjo and B. Manyindo. Show less

Authors: Kerre, B. Wanjala

Date: 1996

Geographic subjects: Africa; Zimbabwe; Madagascar ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Edited book

Subjects: Governance; Research; Policy ... [+] Show more
Digital Senegal for inclusive growth: technological transformation for better and more jobs

This report explores possible solutions for a more intensive use of digital technologies, especially by small and m... Show more
This report explores possible solutions for a more intensive use of digital technologies, especially by small and medium enterprises, to increase their productivity and create more quality jobs. The report will contribute to helping women and young people in particular to gain access to decent work and therefore reduce their exposure to poverty. Appropriate use of this report will make it possible to succeed in the challenges of digital transformation, especially in the context of a relatively young population that is more open to innovation and change.
Edited excerpt from publisher's website. Show less

Authors: Cruz, Marcio; Dutz, Mark A.; Rodriguez-Castelan, Carlos

Date: 2022

Geographic subjects: Senegal; Africa

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: International development in focus

Subjects: Technology; Employment; Gender ... [+] Show more
Labor markets and jobs in West Africa

The labor market in West Africa poses major challenges, both in its operation, in its characteristics, and in the i... Show more
The labor market in West Africa poses major challenges, both in its operation, in its characteristics, and in the indicators generally used to analyze it. Almost all of its actors are informal and the majority of jobs available are self-employment, with a fairly high level of underemployment. Informal workers are often poorly paid and generally receive wages below the poverty line. In addition, they have no social security cover or pension plan, and are often exposed to dangerous tasks.
Policy responses to unemployment and underemployment include support for very small businesses, for example through targeted training for business start-up and consolidation, incubators and accelerators. These policies should also promote the non-skilled labor intensive sectors, such as light industry and processing of agricultural, horticultural and fishery products, through the establishment of suitable industrial parks.
Published abstract. Show less

Authors: Mbaye, Ahmadou Aly; Gueye, Fatou

Date: 2018

Geographic subjects: Africa; Tanzania; Madagascar ... [+] Show more Faso">Burkina Faso; d'Ivoire">Cote d'Ivoire; [-] Show less

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: Working paper series (African Development Bank Group)

Subjects: Employment; Labour market; Gender ... [+] Show more
A compendium of African experiences in promoting the implementation of the education and training continuum: a state-of-the art cross-national analysis of policy and practice in 16 countries

This compendium of country experiences on Promoting the Education and Training Continuum is a major contribution to... Show more
This compendium of country experiences on Promoting the Education and Training Continuum is a major contribution to the knowledge base that the ICQN-TVSD has been building to provide African countries with an inventory of innovative policies and practices that can be drawn upon to address common and pressing challenges in education and training. In this particular case, the Node has engaged its member countries in an investigative and reflective exercise on the underlying issues and factors that explain the lack of articulation between education and training in order to have not only a better understanding of how to restore the broken link between the two concepts in Africa but also to stave off the ensuing negative consequences on educational and socioeconomic development.
The exercise consisted of the following steps: (i) carrying out a literature review on the concept of education and training continuum in order to frame both the theoretical and practical issues; (ii) commissioning reports on country experiences on the manifestations of the lack of articulation between education and training as well as policy responses developed and implemented by governments to address the situation; and (iii) bringing together national experts in a seminar to review and debate the experiences presented in the country reports in order to tease out strategic and policy lessons that will be tabled at a ministerial conference scheduled for the last quarter of 2017.
Excerpts from publication. Show less

Authors: Boukary, Hamidou; Walther, Richard

Date: 2016

Geographic subjects: Africa; Benin; Burkina Faso ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Teaching and learning; Innovation ... [+] Show more
Youth transitions and network consolidation

The Youth Transitions and Network Consolidation Regional Workshop was held in Gaborone, Botswana on 20-22 May 2014.... Show more
The Youth Transitions and Network Consolidation Regional Workshop was held in Gaborone, Botswana on 20-22 May 2014. This brief report provides an overview of the workshop. The workshop was designed based on the following objectives: to place youth employment and related issues on the regional political agenda; to highlight regional success stories; to further strengthen the UNEVOC Network consolidation process in the region; to provide a platform for learning and sharing experiences; to offer an opportunity to actively participate in and shape the regional technical and vocational education and training (TVET) discourse and to enhance the institutional capacities of the participating UNEVOC Centres. The event was attended by nearly 50 speakers and delegates from 11 countries (Botswana, Ethiopia, Germany, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Republic of Korea, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia). International organizations were represented through UNESCO and the International Labour Organization (ILO), along with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany's agency for international cooperation. Regional and national TVET institutions (ministries, national TVET bodies, training and research institutions and nongovernment organisations [NGOs]) were represented in their capacity as UNEVOC Centres and local institutions.
Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Corporate authors: UNESCO. International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNESCO-UNEVOC) ... [+] Show more

Conference name: Youth Transitions and Network Consolidation Regional Workshop

Date: 2014

Geographic subjects: Africa; Botswana; Ethiopia ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Conference

Subjects: Youth; Employment; Demographics ... [+] Show more
Le partenariat dans l'enseignement technique et professionnel

The text is written only in French. This document is the final report of a seminar for key personnel from francopho... Show more
The text is written only in French. This document is the final report of a seminar for key personnel from francophone African countries held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 10-14 February 1997. It presents experience of co-operation between technical and vocational education and the world of work in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. It is valuable as a resource to guide people who are responsible for the promotion of such co-operation. Show less

Corporate authors: UNESCO. International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNESCO-UNEVOC)

Date: 1997

Geographic subjects: Africa; Chad; Togo ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Conference

Subjects: Employment; Vocational education and training; Management
Literacy and vocational learning: a process of becoming

This paper investigates the learning of young people involved in learning a trade in Senegal, West Africa. Fieldwor... Show more
This paper investigates the learning of young people involved in learning a trade in Senegal, West Africa. Fieldwork took place at two contrasting sites, one a workshop where young men were apprenticed to a tailor and the other a vocational training centre where young women were also learning tailoring. The research addresses the relationship between the formal skills of literacy and numeracy and the practical skills involved in learning a trade in the two different settings and raises the issue of what constitutes successful learning in these vocational contexts. Observation, interviews and some specially designed activities were used to probe the way that the young people engaged with scripted materials. The article suggests that the formal educational experience was less important than the relevance of the activities to the young people’s current and prospective vocational identities. Learning thus emerges as social practice rather than a purely cognitive activity.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Shiohata, Mariko; Pryor, John

Date: 2008

Geographic subjects: Africa; Senegal

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Compare: a journal of comparative education

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Literacy; Numeracy ... [+] Show more
Education, learning, training: critical issues for development

Education: fundamental human right or strategic tool in support of economic growth? How does commodity-dependence i... Show more
Education: fundamental human right or strategic tool in support of economic growth? How does commodity-dependence influence education policy and practice? What is the role of vocational training vis-a-vis university education in developing countries? Are MOOCs and Chinese cooperation a game changer for higher education in Africa? And how does student migration sit vis-a-vis the globalisation of knowledge? These and other questions lie at the heart of this collection of essays which explore 50 years of international discourse surrounding education and development. Drawing on examples from Africa, Asia and Latin America, the articles examine issues hitherto largely neglected, but of increasing relevance to researchers and policymakers.
Edited excerpt from publication.
The contents are: Part 1: Education policies and development: issues in the debate - International education and development: histories, parallels, crossroads / Gilles Carbonnier, Michel Carton and Kenneth King (pages 3-26); International education policies, issues, and challenges / Nicholas Burnett (pages 27-36); International investment in education for development: public good or economic tool? / Alexandra Draxler (pages 37-56). Part 2: Shaping training and lifelong learning - Tertiary technical education and youth integration in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico / Claudia Jacinto and Ana Garcia de Fanelli (pages 59-80); Why commodity booms have not (yet?) boosted human capital: Bolivia's struggle to create a skilled workforce / Fritz Brugger and Kathlen Lizarraga Zamora (pages 81-101); Lifelong learning in a learning society: are community learning centres the vehicle? / Manzoor Ahmed (pages 102-125); Exploring the value of the capability approach for vocational education and training evaluation: reflections from South Africa / Lesley Powell and Simon McGrath (pages 126-148). Part 3: China, migration, MOOCs: what's in it for higher education in Africa? - China's higher education engagement with Africa: a different partnership and cooperation model? / Kenneth King (pages 151-173); Western African student migration: a response to the globalisation of knowledge / Denise Efionayi and Etienne Piguet (pages 174-194); Boosting higher education in Africa through shared massive open online courses (MOOCs) / Gerard Escher, Dimitrios Noukakis and Patrick Aebischer (pages 195-214). Show less

Authors: Carbonnier, Gilles; Carton, Michel; King, Kenneth

Date: 2014

Geographic subjects: Bolivia; Brazil; China ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Edited book

Series name: International development policy series

Subjects: Higher education; Vocational education and training; Policy ... [+] Show more
The within-country distribution of brain drain and brain gain effects: a case study on Senegal

Existing empirical literature provides converging evidence that selective emigration enhances human capital accumul... Show more
Existing empirical literature provides converging evidence that selective emigration enhances human capital accumulation in the world's poorest countries. However, the within-country distribution of such brain gain effects has received limited attention. Focusing on Senegal, we provide evidence that the brain gain mechanism primarily benefits the wealthiest regions that are internationally connected and have better access to education. Conversely, human capital responses are negligible in regions lacking international connectivity, and even negative in better connected regions with inadequate educational opportunities. These results extend to internal migration, implying that highly vulnerable populations are trapped in the least developed areas.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Bocquier, Philippe; Cha'ngom, Narcisse; Docquier, Frederic; Machado, Joel

Date: 2023

Geographic subjects: Senegal; Africa

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: IZA discussion paper

Subjects: Migration; Skills and knowledge; Disadvantaged