Technical and Vocational Skills Certification Enhancement Project of the Taiwan Technical Mission, housed at the DIVT building, has found it fit to assist candidates for the trade test with a skills-gap assesmment. The skills-gap assessment is actually a simulation of the actual trade test and is very is crucial for candidates intending to take part in the upcoming trade test. Candidates are brought at the DIVT electrical workshop to be assessed on their readiness to take the trade test examination. the assessment per group of candiadates takes two days. The project aims to curb the high failure rate in trade tests and the skills gap assessment is a norm internationally.

The skills gap asssement for prospective Grade III Electrical trade test is conducted at DIVT electrical workshop and an independent instructor is engaged by the project. The project support extends to the consummables used by the candiadtes and allowance to the instructor. The upcoming trade tests running from March 22, 2024 through to April 12, 2024 had been fully funded by the Taiwan Techinical Mission’s Project. The project appreciates support by local organizations that provide similar assistance at the DIVT and local Emaswati. The past week, the Construction Industry Council had sponsored three groups of student to do the skills-gap assemment in preperation for their sponsored trade tests.

The project has in past years done benchmarking visits to well equiped trade testing centres in South Africa and the visit have helped the project and DIVT in the rebovations of the electrical trade testing workshop.The skills gap assemment exercise is also a result of those benchmarking visit in South Africa. For a full report on the visit to South Africa (click here https://www.divt.org.sz/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Majuba_TVET_Visit_Report_Revised.pdf).

The trade tests are to run between March 18 through to April 12 and candidates for the tests have already been contacted by the DIVT. Registration for trade test at DIVT is currently not open and they are ussually open around June after the public announcement through the national radio staion.