26 / 106
26
The primary sector of Burkina Faso,
our ally country, consists of agriculture
and animal husbandry. Although
some 80 percent of the population
is engaged in either of these,
productivity in both sectors is too low
and the country lacks a foundation
for the manufacturing or service
industry, which has left many young
people with no choice but to emigrate
to neighboring countries to seek a
livelihood. Because the country lacks
educational resources, most of these
migrant workers lack technical skills
and can only find low-paying, non-
technical jobs. To solve this structural
problem, Taiwan accepted Burkina
Faso's request to jointly draw up a
blueprint for vocational training that
would assist the country to develop
the technical labor force required for
national development, so that Burkina
Faso can transition smoothly from an
economy mainly based on the primary
sector to that of a developing country
with the fundamental industries.
Training of Local Instructors,
Establishment of National
Vocational Training Center
To develop human resources
with technical skills for different
industries and regions, this project’s
curriculum designs were based on
the distinguishing economic activities
and industrial development potential
of individual regions to select 13
regional vocational training centers
and three high schools as regional
educational centers. Different training
courses were designed along with
the educational machinery and
equipment. National demonstration-
based vocational training centers
and an industrial vocational training
center were established in Ziniare
and Bobo-Dioulasso, respectively,
to serve as the base for national
vocational instructor training and
develop talents with mid- to high
technical skills. Also, the TaiwanICDF
sent specialists to help in planning
the structure and model of teaching
materials and to strengthen the
credibility of the skills certification
system. These were complemented
by a cooperative industry/academic
joint training mechanism to meet
the human resource
needs o f i ndus t r i a l
development, improving
students’ employment
rate.
The outcomes for this
project for 2015 include:
1. Actively trained local
lecturers: this year,
advanced training
classes designed
s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r
vocational teachers
in Burkina Faso were held in eight
categories of profession. Classes
in woodworking and construction
were, for the first time, led and
taught by Burkina Faso trainers.
2. Improved hardware equipment:
completed specifications and
purchase of equipment for the
Bobo-Dioulasso national industrial
vocational training center and
four regional vocational training
centers.
3. Successfully increased trainee/
student employment rate: the
Ziniare demonstration-based
vocational training center has
completed three pre-employment
training classes with a total of 864
graduates. The employment rate of
the first two classes was 70 and 77
percent, respectively, a remarkable
outcome.
Overall, this project is expected
to raise the quality of the technical
and vocational training system in
Burkina Faso through updating and
upgrading hardware equipment, as
well as by improving lecturers’ ability
in advanced training program and
localized vocational
training modules. These
are complemented by
a host of supporting
me t h o d s s u c h a s
skills competition and
technician certification,
i n t r o d u c t i o n o f a
cooperative industry/
academic joint training
mechanism, and career
guidance and business
consultation services. All
these actions are intended to ensure
that the technical and vocational
training system in Burkina Faso can
meet the needs of human resources
for national and social development,
and facilitate trainees’ entry into the
labor market and improve both their
own and their family’s livelihoods, so
the youth population of the country
becomes the key driving force for
national and social development.
77
Employment rate of
participants in training
courses
%
Burkina Faso
Vocational Training Technical Assistance
Project
2
Case Study