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Learning for Life, Work and the Future Participants’ Papers Page 67
training so that effective programmes and rationalising
of resources may be achieved. Non-governmental
agencies should be encouraged to participate at all
levels and stages of vocational education planning and
delivery.
Secondly, the area of teaching and learning needs
urgent attention if the quality and level of courses is to
match the resources. Often newly-qualified technicians
do not have exposure to current equipment and
consequently face difficulties in performing successfully.
Teaching resources also need to be upgraded,
and exchange of resources among institutions encouraged.
Staff training needs to be carefully planned
for both the short- and long-term development of the
institutions.
18 MUNBODH, Suresh (Mauritius):
The Management of Training and the Role of Donors
1. Introduction
In the developing world, the last decades have seen a
will on the part of governments and the private sector
to establish a partnership for the development of technical
and vocational education and training (TVET).
Several countries in the African region have obtained
assistance in the form of grants/loans from bi- and
multilateral donors to develop TVET. The Industrial
and Vocational Training Board (IVTB) of Mauritius
benefited from such assistance and was initially very
successful in creating the synergy for fruitful implementation
of the projects. However, a change at management
level brought changes in the way the IVTB
was managed. This paper highlights some of the conditions
that lead to the successful participation of the
donors.
2. Background
The Industrial and Vocational Training Board (IVTB)
became operational in 1989. Its objectives are:
• To advise the Minister on matters relating to
training;
• To monitor the needs for training in consultation
with relevant authorities;
• To administer, control and operate training
schemes;
• To provide for, promote, assist in and regulate the
training or apprenticeship of persons who are or
will be employed in commercial, technical or vocational
fields.
One of the first things that the IVTB did was work out
an action plan for training, translating its vision into
time-bound targets.
In 1990, the Government of Mauritius participated in a
meeting of donors to obtain funds for the development
of human resources. The meeting was held in Geneva
and was attended by the representatives of the World
Bank, UNESCO, the British Council, the ILO, the
European Union and the Caisse Française de
Développement (CFD). The IVTB formed part of the
Mauritian delegation and presented its training plan
under the Human Resource Development Programme
(HRDP) for Mauritius.
Considerable support for the programme was obtained
and the different organisations pledged a sum of nearly
Rs 800 million for its implementation. The donors
were to finance equipment for cross-sectoral training,
staff development, and the technical assistance and
materials for a resource centre. The IVTB was committed
to its vision of providing and promoting highquality
training in the country, and undertook to put up
the buildings and physical facilities needed to implement
the programme.
3. The Contribution of Donors
A loan of US$ 5.4 million was obtained from the
World Bank.
The European Union, through a grant of ECU 2.5
million, financed equipment for the upgrading of
training centres as well as some technical assistance
related to the project.
German Technical Assistance (GTZ) provided technical
assistants in the following fields: Automation,
Electronics, Welding, Automotive Electricity/ Electronics,
Automotive Mechanics and Apprenticeship.
The Caisse Française de Développement provided a
loan for the construction, equipment and furniture for a
hotel and tourism training centre.
The Government of India gave a grant to equip workshops
in Radio/TV Maintenance, Air Conditioning and
Refrigeration in one of the training centres. It also
provided scholarships for training in the hotel sector as
well as in a number of technical fields. In addition, it
delegated staff on short-term assignments to run some
modular courses, especially in the restaurant subsector.
The British Council, as well as a few leading UK
training bodies, provided short-term consultants to
assist with the setting-up of the design centre, precision
machining and a print training centre.