Zimbabwe has made significant efforts to promote Technical
and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to enhance graduates’ employable
skills and boost economies. TVET is defined as an educational process that
focuses on the acquisition of practical skills, and an understanding of
technologies and related sciences necessary for employment in a particular
occupation or trade. The implementation of TVET is on the premise that students
develop the requisite skills necessary to increase their employability and for
the development of the economy through entrepreneurship. In Zimbabwe, TVET is
incorporated into two levels of education: secondary and tertiary, to come up
with an education system that mitigates poverty through the creation of
employment. The study sought to ascertain the challenges and proffered
strategies for attaining TVET programmes in Zimbabwean tertiary institutions. A
qualitative approach was used, and a case study design was employed. Two
research questions guided the study. The data collection instruments were
interviews, document analysis and focus group discussions. The participants
were selected through purposive sampling. The study revealed the following
challenges: lack of TVET training facilities, poor teaching methods, poor
funding, deplorable facilities, and routine assessment of students'
competencies. The following strategies were proffered: deliberate continual
professional development of TVET lecturers, provision of adequate training
facilities, and mobilisation of the requisite financial resources. This study
concluded that a workable quality assurance mechanism should be put in place,
and the TVET Line Ministry should monitor and supervise the training process to
ensure that graduates are adequately prepared for the needs of the industry. It
was recommended that the central government, policymakers, and all TVET
providers should deliberately focus on strengthening quality assurance in all
the TVET tertiary institutions.
Author (s) Details
Abigirl Mawonedzo
Department of Art Design and Technology Education, University of Zimbabwe,
Zimbabwe.
Wilson Banda
Department of Educational Foundations, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe.
Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/aoller/v5/1887
