The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), through the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EATRIP), supported the United Republic of Tanzania in developing a National Strategy for TVET Financing.

Designing a sustainable TVET financing strategy is crucial to achieving the ultimate objectives of EASTRIP and ensuring the sustainability of its interventions.

TVET is a highly capital-intensive education sector with high returns. Adequate funding is essential to build a TVET system that responds to the labor market. A strong TVET system contributes to rising employment opportunities for youth by providing labor market-relevant skills, thereby significantly reducing unemployment

Participants during the workshop to develop TVET Financing Strategy for the United Republic of Tanzania

Economic sectors can also benefit when TVET supplies a quality and relevant workforce, especially at lower and middle levels, where there is a high demand in productive sectors. Countries with strong TVET systems have developed mechanisms to diversify funding sources and adequately finance the TVET sector.

A National TVET Financing Strategy is an essential tool for securing adequate funding for the TVET sector. Among the three EASTRIP beneficiary countries, the United Republic of Tanzania did not have a TVET financing strategy.

Therefore, IUCEA, through the EASTRIP project, stepped in to support the country in developing the strategy. IUCEA provided technical assistance (TA) and overall collaborative guidance throughout the TVET Financing Strategy development process.

By Hailemichael Asrat, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for EASTRIP at IUCEA