The International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) has been implementing the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Enhancement Project in the Kingdom of Swaziland since 2015. The project aims to assist the Swazi government in training the qualified workers required to meet the demands of the labor market. On February 20, Ambassador to Swaziland Thomas J.C. Chen and Minister of Education and Training Phineas L. Magagula inaugurated three renovated laboratories and one workshop, including a programmable logic controller (PLC) lab, information and communications technology computer lab and industrial wiring lab at the Swaziland College of Technology (SCOT), and an automotive repair workshop at the Gwamile Vocational and Commercial Training Institute in Matsapa (VOCTIM).

Last year, project team members including TaiwanICDF designated specialists and staff from SCOT and VOCTIM drafted course outlines and proposals for curriculum improvement. In addition, they collaborated with National Chin-Yi University of Technology and Taichung-Changhua-Nantou Regional Branch of the Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor, to identify the specifications of the new equipment for the above-mentioned labs and workshop. The equipment, supplied by Taiwanese companies, was delivered to the SCOT and the VOCTIM respectively in early February this year and installation is complete.

Furthermore, six seed lecturers under the project will receive advanced training in Taiwan and will adapt the skills learnt here to suit the needs of Swazi students. Also, three Taiwanese experts have been dispatched to Swaziland in late February to hold training courses for 20 instructors of the labs and workshop.

In the next four year, the same methodology of upgrading the software and hardware together with teachers’ capacity development will be applied to other subjects selected by the TaiwanICDF and the Government of Swaziland to enhance the efficiency and relevance of the TVET system. With an improved TVET system, the Swazi people can access higher level skill training and contribute to their country’s economic growth and development.

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• Update: 2018/03/05
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