One of the major challenges facing the Kingdom of Eswatini is the provision of a pool of well-trained and skilled artisans and technicians to meet the requirements of the country’s socio-economic development activities. In past years, the government has intentionally developed vocational and skills training programmes as an integral part of broader strategies to promote development and employment.

To respond to the need for human resource development in the country, the Ministry of Education and Training partnered with the Taiwan Technical mission to implement a project to address the challenges of the TVET sector at Eswatini College of Technology (ECOT) and Gwamile VOCTIM. The TVET enhancement project focused on upgrading the curriculum of the TVET training institutions, building the capacity of trainers/lecturers, establishing management systems for workshops and laboratories, establishing a training quality assurance system, establishing continuing education centers and strengthening the career guidance system.

In an effort to benefit more EmaSwati, the TVET Enhancement Project established the Lifelong Training Centre in which ECOT and Gwamile VOCTIM

have to provide tailor-made upskilling short-courses to the private sector and general public. The courses are offered on part-time basis during weekends or evening.

The project in its endeavor, to benefit more EmaSwati, its subsided the tuition fees between 40% and 50%, and also provide free lunch to students. However, in its gender equity and women empowerment policies, it sometimes provided 100% funding to women in engineering field especially Programmable Logic Controllers.

The upskilling and lifelong training centre is the brainchild of the TVET Enhancement Project and it was aimed for the sustainability of the labs at ECOT and VOCTIM.

The upskilling courses are done on the principle of profit-making. The TVET enhancement project lapsed in 2021 and the running of the upskilling and lifelong training centre had been handed back to the institutions but the project continues to support them especially on tuition subsidies, free lunch packs and transport for students from remote countryside.

Gwamile VOCTIM

The Gwamile VOCTIM received TVET Enhancement support for the upgrade of their electrical and automotive engineering laboratories. The electrical engineering labs includes the air-condition and refrigeration and industrial automation. The department offers a variety of upskilling courses in:

  1. Domestic Wiring
  2. Industrial Wiring/Motor Control
  3. Electronics
  4. Delta Programmable Logic Controllers (Level I to Level III)
  5. Air –Condition and Refrigeration

(Add GwamileVOCTIM2 or 3 picture – and caption it Upskilling Graduates pose with Chief Taiwan Technical Mission Fernando Yeh.

The department also offers polish-up classes especially for candidates preparing for a DIVT trade test. The department prides itself in having trained electrical technicians from Eswatini Premier Bakery, Kellog Tolaram, SAWCO Mill, MONTIGNY Mill, Eswatini Water Services Corporation, RFM Hospital, etc… The institution is a preferred choice by industries in programmable logic controller trainings.

The automotive engineering department offers courses in:
  1. Auto Electrical Fundamentals
  2. Auto Electronics Fundamentals (Incl. Diagnostics)
  3. Motor Mechanics Fundamentals
Eswatini College of Technology

ECOT had the electrical department and ICT labs upgraded by the TVET Enhancement Project. The electrical department have the labs:

  1. electronic lab,
  2. electrical machines and control systems lab,
  3. Industrial wiring lab
  4. Programmable Logic Controllers lab

Currently, the electrical department offers no upskilling courses.

The ICT department have the computer architecture lab, computer network lab; The department offers courses in:
  1. Microsoft Office Skills
  2. C# Programming
  3. Cyber Security Awareness

(Add ECOTGraduates picture and caption: Upskilling graduates pose with TVET Skills Enhancement Project manager Baron Wang)

The TVET Enhancement Project is now on phase two and their name is now called TVET Skills Certification Enhancement Project and focusses on the certification of skills. Though the focus is more on trade testing standards and upgrade of DIVT electrical workshop; ECOT and Gwamile VOCTIM will still benefit more on their labs since they are used in the trade testing.