Learning for Life, Work and the Future Initial ... - Unesco-Unevoc

Page 56 Participants’ Papers Learning for Life, Work and the Future
the participation of both genders in technical and
vocational skills programmes.
2. TVET in the Seychelles before the
1999 Education Reform
Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
in the Seychelles was carried out under the Ministry of
Education and Culture at the Seychelles Polytechnic.
Another approach to the implementation of TVET,
which was being gradually implemented, was the
introduction of a two-tier system in the third year of
secondary education which incorporates academic and
vocational programmes.
The Seychelles Polytechnic was a hybrid tertiary institution
with a very clear brief to cater for all technical
vocational education and training according to manpower
needs, as projected from a highly centralised
planning perspective. Pre-employment craft and technician
courses were offered on a full-time basis
following the City and Guilds of London Institute
(C&G) syllabus.
The process of maintaining standards took various
forms depending on traditional practices. External
examination bodies such as UCLES, C&G and the
Pitman’s Institute have been used to moderate
standards in some schools. Consultancies have led to
curriculum revisions in others, while linkage schemes
have not only made possible staff and student exchanges
between institutions, but have also enhanced
significantly the quality of some training programmes.
The C&G syllabi used were standard prescriptions and
not necessarily targeted to the needs of the labour
market. The full-time pattern of attendance made the
courses predominantly theoretical and, as a result,
employers complained that the courses did not meet
the skill levels needed for effective job performance.
3. Issues Affecting TVET
The issues affecting TVET in the Seychelles were
typical of problems faced by most developing
countries, compounded by the transitory nature of the
economy. These included:
• inadequate institutional framework
• mismatch between supply and demand
• lack of relevance
• inefficiency, ineffectiveness
• inappropriate curricula and approach
• inadequate financial provision for training.
4. The 1999 Education Reform
As part of this reform, most of the Polytechnic’s
Schools, then under the Ministry of Education, went to
their respective Ministries. The Schools of Agriculture
and Maritime Studies were transferred to the Ministry
of Agriculture and Marine Resources; the School of
Art and Design to the Ministry of Culture; the Hotel
School went to the Ministry of Tourism; and, finally,
the School of Health Studies went to the Ministry of
Health. The reform also brought about the creation of
a new Industrial Training Centre to provide occupational
trade programmes for the construction and
engineering industries. The Polytechnic only kept the
Schools of Business Studies, Humanities and Science,
and Technical Studies, and today operates with a mandate
to provide advanced courses at diploma level.
The creation of a new division in the Ministry of Education,
the Technical and Further Education Division,
to implement new policies and strategies, is again
another sign of Government commitment to enhance
the development of TVET in the country.
The principle reasons for the reform and the decentralization
of training were principally to improve
the quality of training provided by the different training
institutions and to increase access to TVET.
5. Industrial Training Centre (ITC)
For the purpose of this paper, I am going to focus on
the Industrial Training Centre (ITC), since I was
involved in its planning and implementation phases,
and because it illustrates once again the Government’s
commitment to providing good and coherent training
for its citizens.
The Industrial Training Centre, which is under the
Ministry of Education, became operational in January
1999. The mandate of the Centre is to provide and
deliver intensive occupational trade programmes for
the construction and engineering industries, principally
to substantial numbers of school-leavers. All programmes
offered by ITC are modular and competencybased
in nature. A progressive level approach has been
adopted which includes levels 1, 2 and 3.
Currently the functions of the ITC are based at the
Polytechnic Schools of Construction and Engineering.
For this interim period, their facilities are being used to
run level 1 training programmes. However, the
Government of Seychelles has secured funding to the
value of US$ 6.4 million for the reconstruction of the
Industrial Training Centre in an industrial environment.
This will give a big boost to TVET in the country.
Construction is expected to start early in 2001, and
once completed will revitalize TVET and provide
greater access to training programmes. The Centre will
be provided with the latest equipment, to which
trainees will have access.
The flexible entry requirements allow any schoolleaver
who has satisfactorily completed the secondary
cycle to join the Centre. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the ITC is structured such that other applicants