The Gambia adopts roadmap for educational and training institutions to step up support to youth

(Banjul) – Young people in the Gambia can look forward to better educational and training opportunities following the unveiling in Banjul today (10 December) of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Roadmap 2020-2024.

The Roadmap was announced by Mr. Madi O. Jatta, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST), during the Sixth National TVET Committee meeting. It is the result of a collaboration between the Government of the Gambia and the International Trade Centre as part of the Jobs, Skills and Finance (JSF) for Women and Youth in The Gambia programme, made possible thanks to financial support by the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund.

The launch of the Roadmap follows eight months of extensive consulting with enterprises, training institution and public-sector entities, which have helped define the needs and priorities for developing national skills in the coming five years. Based on detailed mapping and diagnostic, the TVET Roadmap provides clear strategic direction for reforms required to establish market-led, high-quality and accessible technical and vocational education and training, as well as a supplementary apprenticeship system. The Roadmap has been developed to align and complement the objectives of the Gambia’s National Development Plan.

By launching the Roadmap, the Gambian government is stepping up its efforts to address insufficient management and teaching capacities, and align training delivery with industry needs. It will also seek to tackle the lack of access to education and training in rural areas, and increase the rate of formal apprenticeships. Through these combined efforts at the regional and national levels, the goal is reduce youth unemployment and underemployment, alleviate poverty, ensure political stability and bring down migration rates.

Technical and vocational education and training play a critical role in economic growth, helping to develop skills required to improve the productivity of industries, raise income levels for citizens and improve access to employment opportunities for youth.

‘The implementation of the Roadmap is a priority for the government. This why the Ministry has established early conditions for it with the creation of the TVET Committee. I am very pleased to already see this implementation happening with the formulation of the TVET Policy, the work of the Sector Skills Councils, and the training of trainers’ initiatives,’ Mr Jatta said.

The development of the TVET Roadmap is part of the Jobs, Skills and Finance (JSF) for Women and Youth in the Gambia programme funded by the 11th European Development Fund, which aims to stabilize the economic, social and security situation of the Gambia its democratic transition. The programme facilitates social inclusion and employment of youth and women, with a specific emphasis on promoting gender equality and addressing climate change.

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Jarle Hetland, Media Officer
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