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Mauritius needs a National TVET Strategy According to UNESCO convention, “Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) refers to all forms and levels of the educational process involving, in addition to general knowledge, the study of technologies and related science, the acquisition of practical skills, know-how, attitudes and understanding relating to occupations in the various sectors of economic and social life”
Many Mauritians would be surprised to learn that TVET has a very long history in Mauritius, starting very timidly indeed in early 1900s and gradually developing to what it is today. Needless to underline that it has gone through a difficult and hesitating pathway. However, the development of TVET has been very closely associated with the economic development of Mauritius in one way or another, most particularly with the creation of the Industrial Trade Training Centre (ITTC) in 1967, the school of Industrial Technology of the University of Mauritius in 1968 (now the Faculty of Engineering), the Lycee Polytechnique de Flacq in 1981, the IVTB with main roles to regulate, facilitate and provide training in 1988, the Technical School Management Trust Fund (TSMTF) in 1990. The Mauritius Qualifications Authority was set up in 2002 as the then IVTB was perceived to be in a conflictual situation being a regulator and a provider of training. In line with the restructuring of the TVET starting earlier, the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) was established in November 2003 with the following objectives:• promote human resource development in line with national economic and social objectives; • stimulate a culture of training and lifelong learning at the individual, organisational and national levels for employability and increasing productivity; and • provide the necessary human resource thrust for successful transformation of the economy of the country into a Knowledge Economy. The third international congress in Shanghai in 2012 made clear that external demands on TVET systems go far beyond the familiar call for TVET to contribute to economic growth, employment and competitiveness. Today, TVET is considered to be a crucial vehicle for social equity and inclusion, as well as for the sustainability of development. Besides, many advanced countries such as Switzerland, with up to 70% of secondary students going for TVET and Singapore which we like to emulate with 65% of secondary students enrolling on the TVET stream, lead the way in teaching the skills for the future. The Center for International Education Benchmarking (CIEB) report says the VET system, in which 30% of Swiss companies participate, prepares a broad cross-section of students for careers in a range of occupations and sectors. Their VET system “enjoys very strong support from Swiss employers, who credit it with being a major contributor to the continuing vitality and strength of the Swiss
TRAINING & employment magazine
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