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ILO/NEF: Apprenticeship assessment survey for Namibia 1

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PO Box 86321, Windhoek

Tel: 061-254810 Fax: 061-252715

E-mail: [email protected]

SURVEY

TO ASSESS CHALLENGES

FOR EMPLOYERS IN

IMPLEMENTING

APPRENTICESHIP

PROGRAMMES

IN NAMIBIA


Index Table of Tables ......................................................................................................................... 3

Table of Figures ........................................................................................................................ 4

Acronyms .................................................................................................................................. 4

1. Introduction and Objectives ................................................................................................ 5

2. Executive Summary ........................................................................................................... 7

3. Methodology and Sampling .............................................................................................. 15

4. Desk Research ................................................................................................................ 18

5. Survey Findings ............................................................................................................... 33

Profile of respondents ...................................................................................................... 33

Vocational skills and training in Namibia .......................................................................... 37

Current situation on vocational training in Namibia .......................................................... 44

Needs and provision of vocational training in Namibia ..................................................... 54

Rating of training and training institutions ......................................................................... 61

Perception on cost sharing for training ............................................................................. 68

Challenges in having a well-developed apprenticeship programme in Namibia ................ 71

Qualitative comments ...................................................................................................... 75

6. Recommendations and Conclusion.................................................................................... 81


Table of Tables

Table 1: Categories and number of respondents ............................................................................................ 33

Table 2: Economic sector of enterprises/businesses ...................................................................................... 33

Table 3: Number of years in operation ............................................................................................................ 34

Table 4: Number of employees ....................................................................................................................... 34

Table 5: Courses that are being offered .......................................................................................................... 35

Table 6: The name of the institution where graduates have been trained or studied lastly ............................ 35

Table 7: In which occupation/industry/course have respondents been being trained or are being trained .... 36

Table 8: Have respondents graduated? .......................................................................................................... 36

Table 9: Which type of qualification/certification have respondents up to date received? .............................. 36

Table 10: How well equipped/competent are the graduates who have been trained in Namibia for the job

market? ............................................................................................................................................................ 39

Table 11: Have employers ever employed employees who have received vocational training from a training

institution? ........................................................................................................................................................ 43

Table 12: How do respondents rate the knowledge and skills of employees who have received vocational

training from a training institution?................................................................................................................... 43

Table 13: Rating of opportunities for getting trained through an apprenticeship programme in Namibia incl.

“Work Integrated Learning” .............................................................................................................................. 45

Table 14: Perceptions on a possible dual system, where trainees work and attend theoretical training in

vocational professions ..................................................................................................................................... 47

Table 15: If in favor of a dual system, what is preferred length of such a system in years? ........................... 47

Table 16: Which type of qualification/certification have graduates up to date received? ................................ 49

Table 17: Highest level of education before starting this vocational training (entry level requirements) ........ 50

Table 18: Current situation or status in employment? ..................................................................................... 50

Table 19: Are graduates working in the profession which they have been trained in by profession? ............ 51

Table 20: If graduates are not working in their trained profession, what are the reasons? ............................ 52

Table 21: What is the average percentage of “drop outs” (trainees who leave before completing the full

training course/before graduating)?................................................................................................................. 52

Table 22: Main reasons for dropping out ......................................................................................................... 53

Table 23: Do enterprises have the ability and opportunities to train employees in the required professions?54

Table 24: Major challenges in providing training ............................................................................................. 55

Table 25: Have enterprises ever provided vocational training to employees? ................................................ 56

Table 27: What certification do the employees receive? ................................................................................. 57

Table 28: Length of training until employees are competent to do the job ..................................................... 58

Table 29: Interest in offering trainees and/or graduates some kind of job attachment ................................... 58

Table 30: Profession in which enterprises would be willing to offer internships/ apprenticeships .................. 58

Table 31: Perception on required entry level for vocational training ............................................................... 60

Table 32: Reasons for any negative rating as provided by the respondents are listed below: ....................... 62

Table 33: Institutions where graduates have applied for an apprenticeship ................................................... 63

Table 34: The main reasons for not having applied for an apprenticeship ..................................................... 64

Table 35: Kind of support received during internship/attachment ................................................................... 65

Table 36: What percentage of your annual employment cost is allocated to training? ................................... 68

Table 37: Do enterprises financially support trainees who are being trained at a VTC or similar institution? 68

Table 38: How many employees are they financially supporting? .................................................................. 69


Table of Figures

Figure 1: Perceptions on whether sufficient vocational skills are available, as demanded by businesses in

Namibia ............................................................................................................................................................ 37

Figure 2: Perceptions on whether sufficient vocational training is offered in Namibia .................................... 38

Figure 3: To what extent does tertiary and vocational education in Namibia meet the needs of the business

community? ..................................................................................................................................................... 39

Figure 4: Is there recognition of prior learning in Namibia? ............................................................................ 45

Figure 5: Are graduates working in the profession which they have been trained in? .................................... 50

Figure 6: Are companies currently in need of skilled personnel? .................................................................... 54

Figure 7: Rating on various aspects of the training providers where respondents have been trained ........... 61

Figure 8: Have the training provider/institutions provided graduates with advice on future careers? ............. 63

Figure 9: Sufficiency of support from current training institution to help find a job attachment ....................... 64

Acronyms

ILO - International Labour Organization

EESE - Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises

NEF - The Namibian Employers’ Federation

TVET - Technical and Vocational Education and Training

GAN - The Global Apprenticeship Network

GNN - GAN National Networks

BIA - Business Intelligence Africa

SME - Small Medium Enterprise

OSH - Occupational Safety and Health

NSA - National Statistics Agency

NQF - National qualifications framework

CATS - Commercial Advancement Training Scheme

MITSD - Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade & SME Development

N$ - Namibia Dollar

NTA - Namibia Training Authority

VTC - Vocational Training Centre

VET - Vocational education and training

CBET - Competency-based education and training

RPL - Recognition of Prior Learning

PROVET - Promotion of Vocational Education and Training Project

ISC - Industry Skills Committee

NEET - Not in Education, Employment or Training

WBL - Work Based Learning

WIL - Work-Integrated learning

IMF - International Monetary Fund


1. Introduction and Objectives

"If the unemployed formed a country, it would be the fifth largest in

the world."

Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the IMF1

Latest reports from the ILO show that youth unemployment is around 2.9 times greater than adult

unemployment and yet, young employees are the backbone of our future.

In 2010, Namibian Employers' Federation (NEF) carried out a skills deficit survey and this made it

clear that skills development should be one of the key areas for development that NEF should focus

on according to a series of studies inter-alia:

an analysis of Youth Employment and Unemployment conducted by the Namibia

Statistics Agency in 2013;

a study on the Namibia Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises (EESE),

recently carried out preliminary data;

the World Bank through the Ease of Doing Business Report of 2016 & 2017;

and the UNESCO Study on TVET,

Higher Education and Innovation, undertaken for the Government of Namibia,

The shortage of skilled workers is one of the factors cited by businesses as a constraint in economic

development and a contributing factor to youth unemployment in Namibia.

Further to that, the same reports indicate that skills training is evidently underdeveloped and there

is clearly a mismatch between available and needed skills in Namibia.

Having decided to join GAN, NEF held meetings on a joint project with the Namibia Training Authority

(NTA) to encourage the appointment of apprentices. With the valued assistance of the ILO, NEF

commissioned Business Intelligence Africa to carry-out a survey to address the challenges for

employers in implementing apprenticeship programs including an assessment of best practices.

The Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN) is a business-driven alliance with the overarching mission

of encouraging and linking business initiatives on skills and employment opportunities for youth -

notably through apprenticeships. The GAN Global Network is of a strategic nature and its scope of

work is in global coordination, fundraising, engaging, leading companies and partners, and

1 http://www.gan-global.org/why


developing toolkits and reports while the GAN National Networks (GNNs) are the platform, on the

ground, which assists the GAN to achieve concrete results on a national level.

The objective of the survey can be summarised as follows:

To obtain information from existing information on current practises in terms of international

apprenticeship programmes.

To investigate and understand the views of employers, apprentices and interns in the informal

and formal sectors as well as training Institutions regarding:

a. Current practices and existing apprenticeship and internship programs, building on the

UNESCO Study on TVET, Higher Education and Innovation undertaken for by the

Government of Namibia),

b. Challenges of implementing internship/apprenticeship programs,

c. Specific information on costs of internship/apprenticeship programs,

d. Challenges and opportunities faced by interns and apprentices in workplaces.

e. Current practices and initiatives aimed at promoting entrepreneurship amongst the youth.

To generate reliable labour market information to be used to provide recommendations on how

employers can increase intake of apprentices/interns and improve the apprenticeship/internship

pilot program.

With the survey it is aimed to ensure that the national skills development agenda addresses the

industry skills need and thus improves the employability of its graduates. Achievement of this

objective requires strengthening the relationship between the business community, educational and

vocational institutions for demand – driven and practice-oriented training in order to ensure that

students acquire employable skills that are responsive to industry needs and entrepreneurship.

This report is a combination of some desk research focusing on the current practices and existing

apprenticeship and internship programs of other countries and secondly the report provides an

overview of the research findings of the survey focusing on the challenges that are experienced in

having effective apprenticeship programmes in Namibia.


2. Executive Summary

Ongoing concerns about the ability of public education to create employable school leavers and the

lack of skilled workers are amongst the main contributors of unemployment in the opinion of many

industry leaders.

With this in mind, a survey was conducted in Namibia with a total of 210 respondents split between

employers (large enterprises), SMEs/informal enterprises, graduates and training

institutions/associations.

It needs to be mentioned that Namibia currently does not have any Apprenticeship

legislation. Act 1 of 2008 repealed in total the 1994 Act.

Definitions

An apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of

a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work

and reading). Apprenticeship also enables practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulated

profession. Most of their training is done while working for an employer who helps the apprentices

learn their trade or profession, in exchange for their continued labor for an agreed period after they

have achieved measurable competencies. Apprenticeships typically last 3 to 7 years, however it can

vary depending on the country, profession and apprenticeship framework. People who successfully

complete an apprenticeship reach the "journeyman" or professional certification level of

competence.2

It is important to mention that throughout the survey perceptions of respondents were tested

and the report is based on the perceptions and views of the respondents which might not in

all cases be based on absolute facts.

The findings of the survey based on the perceptions of the respondents, are presented in this report

of which the highlights can be found below:

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprenticeship

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradesman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/License

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journeyman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_certification


Listed below are the most important highlights which emerged from the survey:

• 50% of graduates interviewed are unemployed.

• Only 38% are working in the profession in which they have been trained

• 92% of the enterprises agreed that there is a deficit in terms of vocational skills, as

demanded by businesses in Namibia. It appears as if the ISCs at NTA are not operating

to the full potential, plus more involvement at ALL tertiary establishments in curricula

advisory bodies from Industry is needed.

• Candidates lack basic skills and knowledge and basic education is sadly lacking

especially in the fields of English, Mathematics, communication etc.

• More and improved career guidance is required

• 60% of employers say they need skills whilst 50% of the graduates are unemployed.

Why is there such a gap?

• Challenges graduates encounter during their internship/ attachment mostly relate to

financial difficulties, competency based challenges, and/or unfair or poor treatment from

the employers.

• Too many candidates are dropping out without completing their training.

• There is need for law reform to facilitate and promote the uptake of apprenticeships by

the private sector.

• Proposed apprenticeship scheme and co-operation with NTA & NEF will incentivize

employers.

Years of global experience and research show that the most efficient

form of training that keeps pace with technology and puts money in

a trainee’s pocket, is that of work integrated learning, more

commonly known as apprenticeships.1


1 ILO-Youth Unemployment FIN Report Oct.17

Highlighted Findings per Category

Vocational skills and training in Namibia

The majority of respondents perceive vocational skills are not sufficient as demanded by

businesses in Namibia – 37% said that generally they are not sufficient, 44% feel that there is

significant skills deficits and 11% agreed that there are minor skills deficits.

The survey also revealed that 50% of the 100 graduates interviewed are unemployed and only 38%

are working in the profession in which they have been trained in. This skills mismatch contributing

to this gap is an area which needs further focus.

In terms of sufficient vocational training being offered in Namibia, the results show that there is a

concern across the board that vocational training in some professions is lacking – 17% felt very

strongly that training is not at all sufficiently being offered, 51% agreed that vocational training is not

sufficient in all professions and only 5% of the respondents are convinced that there is enough

vocational training as demanded by business. Together with this, the issue of insufficient qualified

trainers and teachers at the vocational training centres training needs to be addressed.3

Especially, the large enterprises (employers) expressed a concern with 60% percent of them

believing that there is gap in terms of vocational training offered in Namibia in meeting the needs of

the business community, followed by 58% of the training providers agreeing that there is a gap in

some professions. A survey revealed a further gap whereby graduates generally feel competent

(91% agreed), but the enterprises interviewed are not convinced – 52% indicated that they feel that

graduates are not well equipped for the job market (34% poorly and 18% very poorly) and only 6%

of the employers interviewed feel that graduates are competent enough to enter the job market. The

most often mentioned reasons included amongst others failure to link theory to practical, graduates

lack work experience, youth is lacking basic school skills like writing, reasoning, general knowledge

and lingual capacity and a shortage of qualified VET Trainers.

The majority of the larger employers and SMEs have rated the knowledge and skills of graduates

who have received vocational training from a training institution in Namibia, averagely (56% and

67% respectively). 27% of the SMEs provided a positive rating compared to 23% of their larger

counterparts. On the contrary, 19% of the large enterprises have a negative perception about the

knowledge and skills compared to 7% of the SMEs interviewed.

3 Comment from Mrs. D. Schneider, Senior Expert Quality Assurance, Promotion of Vocational Education and Training (ProVET)


Current situation on vocational training in Namibia

69% of the training providers and associations interviewed are of the opinion that currently

apprenticeship programmes are not sufficiently offered in Namibia and when asked how they

rate the opportunities for getting trained through an apprenticeship programme in Namibia including

“Work Integrated Learning”, surprisingly around half of the training providers and 63% of the

graduates interviewed perceive the opportunities for getting trained through an apprenticeship

programme positively.

Only 6% of the employers interviewed agreed that prior learning is recognised greatly in Namibia,

55% feel to some extent, 29% that it is not much recognised and 2% feel that prior learning is not

receiving any recognition. In Namibia the RPL concept is still in infancy stage.

The survey probed the opinions of the training providers on possibly linking school, VET and

higher education programs.

50% of the graduates mentioned that they are unemployed after having completed their

vocational training. This figure is the same irrelevant whether they have been trained at a VTC or

private institution. This outcome is extremely concerning. Only 38% of the graduates appear to be

working in the profession in which they have been trained in. This question is seen as very

important because training investments loses its meaning if graduates are not working in the field in

which they have been trained.

More advice on career choices, together with offering more vocational subjects already at schools

is areas to focus on. Young people often do not have the know-how on what the various professions

involve and may take decisions which are based on availability of courses rather than on what they

would want to do. More effort should be made at school level to match applicants with the right

apprenticeship or internship. This can be done with the aid of aptitude tests, tips, and information,

possibly as early as grade 10 to allow for informed decisions on subject choices in Grade 11 and 12.

The survey findings showed us that graduates being trained in building industries related professions

are less likely to work in their professions. This could have a connection with the current halt of

building projects for the Government.

For Office Administration & Information and Communication Technology’s the picture looks slightly

brighter with more than half of the graduates who completed their training actually work in this field.

Not finding a job in their profession stands out most prominently as reason for not working in their

trained profession. It is however not clear on how much effort graduates put into finding a job in their


professions and how flexible they are in terms of moving to a different town, working at flexible hours

etc.

From the survey results it appears that SMEs experience a higher drop-out rate compared to the

larger employers. Less structure, lower remuneration and less long term job security might be

contributors towards this tendency. The most common reasons being “No interest or motivation

to continue “; is of concern and relates rather towards poor attitude of the youth than towards

economic conditions which might hamper the outlook of being employed in a certain profession.

Another reason that is often cited for the incidence of high drop-out rate and/or unemployment

among graduates is the absence of entrepreneurial training in the school curriculum.


Needs and provision of vocational training in Namibia

58% of the companies interviewed agreed that there have a need for skilled staff. Apart from that,

81% of the large enterprises interviewed indicated that they envisage that they will be in need of

skilled personnel within the next five years. This is a positive indication and provides opportunities

for young people.

The survey probed the opinion of respondents as to whether they have the ability and opportunities

to train employees in the required professions. In total 68% (63% of larger enterprises and 78%

SMES) indicated that they have the ability and opportunities to train employees in the required

professions.

Whilst the larger enterprises mostly agreed that a lack of skilled trainers and lack of time being

the biggest challenges in offering training, for the SMEs the highest barrier is a lack of funds.

SMEs are inclined to employ more labour-intensive production processes than large enterprises

which often involve vocational professions. However, they are not eligible for applying for funding

because only larger enterprises are part of the NTA training levy and support system. Large

enterprises on the contrary are often in need of more specialised expertise.

The results clearly support, that SMEs often do not have the opportunities or funds to offer external

training – only 11% agreed that they have ever offered external training compared to 56% of their

larger counterparts. In terms of internal training being provided, there is a relative strong agreement

amongst large enterprises and SMEs with around two thirds having offered training.

For vocational training a certificate is most popular. The table however also shows that the SMEs

tend not to give any certification. 65% of the SMEs agreed that it takes one year of training until

employees are competent to do the job.

Larger enterprises seem to require a higher entry level compared to their smaller counterparts. 48%

of the large enterprises require trainees to have a grade 12 compared to only 8% of the SMES. For

the SMEs most often mentioned was an entry level of grade 10 (36% indicated that). As mentioned

earlier, larger enterprises might have more requirements in technical know-how whereas SMEs

often operate enterprises which are hand crafts.

The survey tested whether enterprises are interested in offering trainees and/or graduates some

kind of job attachment (could be in the form of internships/ apprenticeships etc.), and a very

positive result was seen with an overwhelming willingness (83%) of the enterprises interviewed to

offer some kind of job attachment.


Rating of training and training institutions

The survey asked graduates to rate various elements of the institutions where they have been

trained and have given a fairly good rating implying that they are generally satisfied. However, when

graduates were asked to substantiate any negative ratings with comments, it reveals that there some

areas which needs to be improved and focussed on as follows: lack of materials (machinery and

tools), the fees are too high / not affordable and the classrooms / workshops being very small and

overcrowded.

Furthermore, the survey tested whether graduates have ever applied for an apprenticeship, and

75% agreed that they have while only 25% indicated that they have not. It seems that private

companies are preferred for apprenticeships above state owned enterprises or Government

departments, as 53% of the graduates who indicated that they have applied for an apprenticeship,

did so at a private company.

With young people having the choice of so many different professions being available, it is

considered important at they receive some form of guidance and advice. Making the correct and

more informed decision may be an important contributor to employment.

On the positive side, 90% of the graduates interviewed indicated that they have attended job

attachment or any form of work integrated learning (internships/ apprenticeships etc) but only 44%

indicated that they have received sufficient support from their current training institution (VTC

or private) to help find a job attachment. This is an area which should be focused on and it was

raised in the section where recommendations were made.

26% of the enterprises interviewed indicated that between 2% to 5% of their annual employment

cost is allocated to training. This is followed by 21% of the enterprises who agreed that they spend

more than 10% of their annual employment costs towards training.


Way Forward

From the above summarised findings, some actionable issues are suggested and listed below. More

elaboration on recommendations can be found at the end of the report.

Continue to work on the pilot programme plan developed by NTA and NEF.

Formalise apprenticeship programmes.

Develop a system for SMEs and informal sector to be included in an apprenticeship

programme.

Discuss the concern of the quality and selection of subjects in basic education, especially

when it comes to the needed skills in Maths and proper English

Re-assess possibility that schools already start with inclusion of training in vocational training

and that some unit standards are aligned.

Provide standards for trainers.

Assess quality of the VTCS and other training providers.

Align courses and training contents in order to ensure that graduates have the same

knowledge base.

The NTA should review the VTC curriculum so that it is responsive to industry skills

requirements and encourage enhanced private sector participation in curriculum

development.

A tracer study is needed in order to get information on whether/where and in whoch

professions gradutes are employed and secondly it can serve as a data base where

employers could possibly recruit potential employees in certain regions and//or professions.

It is believed that the NTA is already in the planning stage of such a project.

Find ways to strengthen career guidance and support for job attachments and job shadowing.

Create opportunities for young people to gain work experience.

Further assist in development and promotion of current initiatives such as CATS.

Address and align the skills mismatch and promote employability of graduates.

Enhanced focus in the training of artisans, and the starting point would be the introduction of

mandatory apprentice training programmes.

The goodwill from government is important before any achievements can be made – get

government on board to acknowledge the importance of legislation on apprenticeships.

The image of vocational professions needs to be changed and promoted. People often see

any vocational profession as “sub standard”.

Finally, it would be the aim to have apprenticeship legislation in place.


3. Methodology and Sampling

Survey administration and sample collection

A multiple survey administration strategy was followed:

Firstly, the survey was administered through face-to-face and telephonic interviews.

Secondly, a Survey Monkey questionnaire was designed; from this method, 40 completed

questionnaires were received from large enterprises. An email notifying prospective respondents

of the survey and the link to complete the survey was distributed in order to attempt to increase

the sample size.

In the table below, the respondents were disaggregated between the different types of

enterprises:

Sample size Completed interviews

SME and informal enterprises 40 35

Employers (Large enterprises) 120 62

Training Institutions and Associations 15 12

Graduates 100 100

Total 275 210

This multiple strategy was deemed important in order to reach a higher number of businesses and

it was helpful that NEF, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and various sector associations

sent the online link and the questionnaire to their members. Businesses that did not have time for

face-to-face or telephonic interviews could thus complete the questionnaire in their own time.

Furthermore, SMEs were targeted at a Trade Fair which was especially aimed at small and medium

enterprises, held in Otjiwarongo.

Questionnaires

BIA designed the questionnaires for the various stakeholder/respondents groups, where some

questions relevant to all groups were overlapping, and some questions were targeted at a certain

respondents only.

A mix of quantitative and qualitative approach was used to ensure that the reasons behind the

close-ended questions (quantitative) were fully explored. The qualitative approach was

especially appropriate in cases where more in-depth exploration of “why” questions was

required. It set the context for more elaboration and description of answers from the respondents

on ‘quantitative’ answers given.


The questionnaires were submitted to ILO and NEF for approval before data collection started.

Approximately 10% of the completed face-to-face questionnaires were back checked in order to

verify the validity of the interviews.

Language: the questionnaires and interviews were done in English.

A letter of endorsement was presented to all respondents.

Research Limitations Some limitations were encountered during the first phase of the project, which included the following:

National Survey. In Namibia, the National Statistics Agency (NSA) has to give approval for a

survey being a National survey. However, the purpose of this study is to complement various

studies which were already done and the sample of 385 for each targeted population in order to

each a confidence level of 95% is not adhered to. The selection of the respondents was done

according to different sampling methodologies, namely convenience sampling (Non-probability

sampling) and probability sampling. The decision of limiting the survey to the mentioned sample

size was based on available budget from ILO and NEF and the fact that the survey placed a

higher weighting on obtaining qualitative data. The consultants are however confident, that the

survey yielded valuable data and information.

Difficulties in obtaining contact details of graduates. Difficulties were experienced in

obtaining names and contact details of graduates. Training institutions were contacted, but they

only keep contact details of current trainees and not of trainees who have graduated and have

left the institution already. After some attempts, contact details of graduates from a limited

number of institutions were obtained. This has the result that the sample of graduates might not

be evenly spread across all regions and from all training institutions.

Low response rate from employers. At the onset of the survey, it was decided that the

questionnaire for the employers will be distributed via an online web-based tool where

enterprises could complete the questionnaire and return it to BIA. NEF and various other

associations assisted in distributing the questionnaires to their members; however a very low

responses rate was achieved. It is not sure, whether it is due to a lack of interest on the topic or

a lack of time to partake or any other reasons, but one reason that contributed to the low

response rate might be that many enterprises do not offer apprenticeships and have the feeling

that they cannot answer many of the questions provided. There were 10 enterprises that started

completing the online questions, but have opted out after a few questions.

Result analysis and Report Structure


Most questions were posed as rating scales from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. Results are presented either as

percentage ratings in frequency tables or as mean index scores.

Scores have the advantage of being weighted where “very good” responses weigh more heavily

than “good” or “average” and “very poor” responses weigh the least.

Another advantage is that it makes comparison easier. A disadvantage of scores however is that it

does not indicate how many respondents have given a rating of extremes i.e. “very good” or “very

poor”.

On a rating scale of 1 to 5 points the midpoint is 3 (60%) – this means that any replies below a score

of 3 (60%) need attention and should be focused on.

On a 10-point scale (which is not as perfectly balanced because there is no true midpoint) scores

lower than 6 (60%) are on the negative side and need attention and scores exceeding 6 (60%) are

on the positive side. In such a case it would be useful to look at outliers; for example if one issue

scored far lower or higher than the average.

Various replies have been given as verbatim in order to ensure that the full meaning and context of

the answers is fully captured. The survey probed for a fairly high number of qualitative comments

and perceptions and these are provided either as verbatim or some 4are grouped and provided as

such.


4. Desk Research

“Quality education is essential for creating a sustainable human

resource base upon which to build a country’s development.”5

One of Namibia’s greatest challenges is youth unemployment. According to some available figures

the overall unemployment rate of around 30% masks a greater underlying problem among specific

age groups: unemployment is as high as 64% in the 15-19 age group, over 50% in the 20-24 age

group and 33% in the 25-29 age group. Youth not in Education, Employment and Training (NEET)

amount to approximately 200,000. At the same time, the country struggles with growing skills

deficits. At present skills shortage is one of the most critical constraints to growth and employment

creation. Technical and Vocational Education and Training is recognised as fundamental in fighting

unemployment, poverty, hunger and disease.6

Namibia - current Status

As the per the latest (2016) labour force statistics launched by the Namibian Statistics Agency (NSA)

in July 2017, the youth unemployment rate in Namibia is currently 43%. Skills mismatches and skills

scarcity are some of the contributing factors to the high unemployment rate. NEF has addressed

this crisis by promoting apprenticeships and internships to bridge the skills disparity gap and to

mitigate youth unemployment. This initiative is in accordance with the Harambee Prosperity Plan

through the promotion of Vocational Education and Training in Namibia.

It is against this background that Namibian Employers’ Federation (NEF) has launched the study

and more importantly has joined The Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN) Global and will launch

a national network early in 2018 to become GAN Namibia. GAN is a coalition of committed

companies, employer federations and international organizations who come together to promote

work-readiness programmes such as apprenticeships and internships with a view to create job

opportunities for the youth and ensure appropriate skills development for businesses.

The main objective of NEF and GAN is to promote work-readiness programs amongst their members

by creating awareness about the importance of apprenticeships and internships; to encourage the

increase of apprentices’ intake by our members through a partnership with the Namibian Training

Authority (NTA) and to provide incentives to employers for training; to share best practices of other

countries and to promote vocational education to school graduates by working closely with the NTA.

5 Bindu N. Lohani, Vice-President (Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development) of the Asian Development Bank 6 https://youngafrica.org/item/skill-centres-namibia


The establishment of the GAN Namibia program is a key priority for NEF and promotion of youth

employment is at the centre of their advocacy activities.

Piloting apprenticeship

PROVET in partnership with NEF and NTA have developed a framework piloting apprenticeships in

Namibia. Details of the piloting plan as designed by PROVET and the NTA are important steps

towards a well-developed apprenticeship programme and are shared as follows:7

Background

Apprenticeships were popular in nearly every industrialised nation worldwide and date back to the

12th century in many European countries.

However, in colonial Africa apprenticeships attracted a negative connotation of cheap bonded labour

and a segregated disadvantaged workforce.

Upon independence, Namibia already had an apprenticeship system with its own legal framework

and an inspectorate that regulated employers and started to protect the rights of apprentices while

maintaining quality standards. However, changes in the Vocational Training Act gave way to full time

training delivery systems and most industries were left to re-train the products of the new system to

make the ‘graduates’ ready for their own particular specialised operations.

Today, industrialised nations as well as developing nations with an eye on social equity and a skilled

workforce are reviving apprenticeship programmes.

The new apprenticeships are not limited to just ‘heavy engineering’ occupations, but are relevant to

all commercial sectors where young people can learn a trade, gain a qualification and earn a fair

income while contributing to the economic success of the country and their own self-worth.

The Current Namibian Situation

The NTA has recently taken great steps to encourage closer links with business and skills training

in recent years with the development of the Sector Skills Plans and the Skills Development Plan 1

in 2016.

The plans have precipitated demand driven training both in and outside of Namibia, while emerging

training providers are being supported financially to provide higher quality training with an expanded

offering of market related courses.

However, years of global experience and research show that the most efficient form of training that

keeps pace with technology and puts money in a trainee’s pocket is that of work integrated learning,

more commonly known as apprenticeships.

7 NEF/NTA Collaboration Proposal – M Wilkinson ProVET 25.01.17


Programmes in Namibia such as the Commercial Advancement Training Scheme (CATS) have,

since 2005, taken motivated young people and placed them in the work place to be supported by

weekly academic lessons leading to work based skills and a tertiary qualification.

Such programmes allow companies to hire for personal character and train for relevant skills, rather

than hire trainees who have completed mismatched programmes that are irrelevant to industry’s

needs.

Successful programmes such as CATS need to be expanded beyond the traditional blue collar view

of engineers and mechanics to occupations such as agricultural technologies, tourism, logistics,

computer aided manufacturing and software development. The challenges (and opportunities) of

automation should not be overlooked as production processes and transportation start to become

‘driverless’.

Employers need guidance to embrace work place training as a means to sustain their businesses in

the future, while not seeing it as a cost, but as an investment. The current culture of ‘poaching’

trained staff from other companies is a downward spiral in any sector and needs to be countered via

institutional support such as the NTA incentive programme.

NTA Apprenticeship Implementation Partners

a) Namibian Employers Federation (NEF)

Membership is open to any employer, large or small, the only criteria being compliance with

Namibian Labour Act and other Legislation.

NEF currently has 300 direct corporate members (as of the beginning of 2017) and in total

represents the interests of over 5000 various employers through its Associational Members.

NEF is a member of several international bodies, including the Global Apprenticeship Network, and

thus enjoys free technical and legal advice when requested. In addition these memberships entitle

members to attend various international training courses.

b) Global Apprenticeship Network 8

NEF is a member of GAN which is a business-driven alliance with the overarching goal of

encouraging and linking business initiatives on skills and employment opportunities for youth -

notably through apprenticeships. They reach out in their respective countries and industries to

mitigate the youth unemployment and skills mismatch crises.

At the same time they strengthen their companies' competitive strategies by investing in their

workforces. GAN is currently achieving African success in Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya with

apprenticeship best practice support and Namibia is well placed to take advantage of this current

momentum.

8 (http://www.gan-global.org)


NTA Funding Framework

During 2015, the NTA developed the National Training Fund Framework that sought to identify key

priority activities that will consolidate and expand the VET system relevant to the NTA’s own strategic

plan.

Operational implementation of the strategic plan is directed by the NTA’s ‘TVET Transformation and

Expansion Strategy’ (22 November 2016) which tells us that:

• ‘…Such a (funding) framework is also to consider other aspects not catered for in current

funding norms, including among others, the funding of apprenticeships, traineeships,

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and in-company training’.

• The TVET Transformation and Expansion Strategy sets a goal that:

• ‘A total of 7 500 apprentices will be certified through the apprenticeship and traineeship

process’.

The TVET Transformation and Expansion Strategy recommends an agreed mechanism of

incentivising:

• ‘The proposed funding system is not only focused on TVET institutions, but also on subsidy

allocations, which include financial incentives for employers to take trainees on work

placements/job attachments’.

• The TVET Transformation and Expansion Strategy is a very new document that uses Vision

2030, the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP4), the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP),

the Namibia Industrial Policy, the National Human Resources Plan and the Growth At Home

Strategy to justify the urgent support of the revival and funding of apprenticeships.

THE COMMERCIAL ADVANCEMENT TRAINING SCHEME (CATS)9

CATS Namibia started in 2005 as a unique initiative established by various companies within the

logistics/transport industry in response to the severe commercial skills shortage experienced in

Namibia. The Commercial Advancement Training Scheme (CATS) is a two-year programme

providing dual training to both school leavers and employees wanting to further their professional

careers. CATS is a registered section 21 company - not for gain. It is a private initiative by the

Namibian industry and currently consists of 23 member companies.

CATS trainees are employed by one of the CATS member companies for two years. During this time

they receive both practical and theoretical training. Practical training consists of on-the-job training

at the company for four days a week, while another one and a half days are dedicated to theoretical

training. On-the-job training means the trainee will rotate through different departments of the

business under the guidance of a CATS mentor and supervisor. Theoretical training consists of

9 www.catsnamibia.org

http://www.catsnamibia.org/


education in business administration subjects by a training provider, currently the University of

Science and Technology of Namibia.

The CATS graduates receive a diploma as ‘Industrial Management Assistant’ which is issued jointly

by the Southern African – German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of

German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. The diploma acknowledges both practical and

theoretical achievements.

Apart from looking at the situation in Namibia and obtaining a more holistic picture on apprenticeship

programmes it is found important to shed some light on well established apprenticeships programs

globally. Australia, Germany and the UK will be seen as forerunners and role models but for some

other countries, a short overview is provided below.

Apprenticeship systems worldwide

Australia

Australian Apprenticeships encompass all apprenticeships and traineeships. They cover all industry

sectors in Australia and are used to achieve both 'entry-level' and career 'up skilling' objectives.

Australian Government employer and employee incentives may be applicable, while State and

Territory Governments may provide public funding support for the training element of the initiative.

Australian Apprenticeships combine time at work with formal training and can be full-time, part-time

or school-based.

Australian Apprentice and Traineeship services are dedicated to promoting retention, therefore

much effort is made to match applicants with the right apprenticeship or traineeship. This is done

with the aid of aptitude tests, tips, and information on 'how to retain an apprentice or apprenticeship'.

Information and resources on potential apprenticeship and traineeship occupations are available in

over sixty industries.

The distinction between the terms apprentices and trainees lies mainly around traditional trades and

the time it takes to gain a qualification. The Australian government uses Australian Apprenticeships

Centres to administer and facilitate Australian Apprenticeships so that funding can be disseminated

to eligible businesses and apprentices and trainees and to support the whole process as it underpins

the future skills of Australian industry. Australia also has a fairly unusual safety net in place for

businesses and Australian Apprentices with its Group Training scheme. This is where businesses

that are not able to employ the Australian Apprentice for the full period until they qualify are able to

lease or hire the Australian Apprentice from a Group Training Organisation. It is a safety net,


because the Group Training Organisation is the employer and provides continuity of employment

and training for the Australian Apprentice.10

Germany

In Germany, there are 342 recognized trades (Ausbildungsberufe) where an apprenticeship can be

completed. They include for example doctor's assistant, banker, dispensing optician, plumber or

oven builder. Apprenticeships are part of Germany's dual education system, and as such form an

integral part of many people's working life. Finding employment without having completed an

apprenticeship is almost impossible. For some particular technical university professions, such as

food technology, a completed apprenticeship is often recommended; while for others, such as

marine engineering it may even be mandatory.

The dual system means that apprentices spend about 50-70% of their time in companies and the

rest in formal education. Depending on the profession, they may work for three to four days a week

in the company and then spend one or two days at a vocational school (Berufsschule). This is usually

the case for trade and craftspeople. For other professions, usually which require more theoretical

learning, the working and school times take place block wise e.g., in a 12–18 weeks interval. These

vocational schools have been part of the education system since the 19th century. One in three

companies offered apprenticeships in 2003; in 2004 the government signed a pledge with industrial

unions that all companies except very small ones must take on apprentices.

German journeymen during journeyman years in traditional costume

After graduation from school at the age of fifteen to nineteen (depending on type of school), students

start an apprenticeship in their chosen professions. Realschule and Gymnasium graduates usually

have better chances for being accepted as an apprentice for sophisticated craft professions or

apprenticeships in white-collar jobs in finance or administration. An apprenticeship takes between

2.5 and 3.5 years. The apprenticeships usually end a person's education by age 18-20, but also

older apprentices are accepted by the employers under certain conditions. This is frequently the

case for immigrants from countries without a compatible professional training system.

Business and administrative professions

The precise skills and theory taught on German apprenticeships are strictly regulated. The employer

is responsible for the entire education programme coordinated by the German chamber of

commerce. Apprentices obtain a special apprenticeship contract until the end of the education

programme. During the programme it is not allowed to assign the apprentice to regular employment

10 "Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Information Service". and Jump up ^ "Australian Apprenticeships".


and he is well protected from abrupt dismissal until the programme ends. The defined content and

skill set of the apprentice profession must be fully provided and taught by the employer. The time

taken is also regulated. Each profession takes a different time, usually between 24 and 36 months.

Thus, everyone who had completed an apprenticeship e.g., as an industrial manager

(Industriekaufmann) has learned the same skills and has attended the same courses in procurement

and stocking up, controlling, staffing, accounting procedures, production planning, terms of trade

and transport logistics and various other subjects. Someone who has not taken this apprenticeship

or did not pass the final examinations at the chamber of industry and commerce is not allowed to

call himself an Industriekaufmann. Most job titles are legally standardized and restricted. An

employment in such function in any company would require this completed degree.

Trade and craft professions

The rules and laws for the trade and craftwork apprentices such as mechanics, bakers, joiners, etc.

are as strict as and even broader than for the business professions. The involved procedures, titles

and traditions still strongly reflect the medieval origin of the system. Here, the average duration is

about 36 months and some specialized crafts even take up to 42 months.

After completion of the dual education, e.g., a baker is allowed to call himself a bakery journeyman

(Bäckergeselle). After the apprenticeship the journeyman can enter the master's school

(Meisterschule) and continue his education at evening courses for three to four years or full-time for

about one year. The graduation from the master's school leads to the title of a master craftsman

(Meister) of his profession, so e.g., a bakery master is entitled as Bäckermeister. A master is officially

entered in the local trade register, the crafts people’s roll (Handwerksrolle). A master craftsman is

allowed to employ and to train new apprentices. In some mostly safety-related professions, e.g., that

of electricians only a master is allowed to found his own company.

License for educating apprentices

To employ and to educate apprentices requires a specific license. The AdA - Ausbildung der

Ausbilder - "Education of the Educators" license needs to be acquired by a training course at the

chamber of industry and commerce.

The masters complete this license course within their own master's coursework. The training and

examination of new masters is only possible for masters who have been working several years in

their profession and who have been accepted by the chambers as a trainer and examiner.


Academic professionals, e.g., engineers, seeking this license need to complete the AdA during or

after their university studies, usually by a one-year evening course.

The holder of the license is only allowed to train apprentices within his own field of expertise. For

example, a mechanical engineer would be able to educate industrial mechanics, but not e.g.,

laboratory assistants or civil builders.11

Austria

Apprenticeship training in Austria is organized in a dual education system: company-based training

of apprentices is complemented by compulsory attendance of a part-time vocational school for

apprentices (Berufsschule). It lasts two to four years – the duration varies among the 250 legally

recognized apprenticeship trades.

About 40 percent of all Austrian teenagers enter apprenticeship training upon completion of

compulsory education (at age 15). This number has been stable since the 1950s.

The Apprenticeship Leave Certificate provides the apprentice with access to two different vocational

careers. On the one hand, it is a prerequisite for the admission to the Master Craftsman Exam and

for qualification tests, and on the other hand it gives access to higher education via the TVE-Exam

or the Higher Education Entrance Exam which are prerequisites for taking up studies at colleges,

universities, "Fachhochschulen", post-secondary courses and post-secondary colleges.

Switzerland

Switzerland has an apprenticeship programme similar to Germany and Austria. The educational

system is basically a dual education system with mandatory practical courses. The length of an

apprenticeship can be two, three or four years.

United Kingdom

Apprenticeships have a long tradition in the United Kingdom, dating back to around the 12th century

and flourishing by the 14th century. The parents or guardians of a minor would agree with a Guild’s

Master craftsman the conditions for an apprenticeship which would bind the minor for five to nine

years (e.g., from age 14 to 21). They would pay a “premium” to the craftsman and the contract would

be recorded in an indenture. Modern apprenticeships range from craft to high status in professional

practice in engineering, law, accounting, architecture, management consulting, and others.

11 Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (Germany). "BMWi - Ausbildungsberufe". german language. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-03. and Andreas Hadjar, Rolf Becker: "Die Bildungsexpansion: Erwartete und unerwartete Folgen. 2006. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften;


The City and Guilds of London Institute the forerunner of Imperial College engineering school has

been offering vocational education through apprenticeships since the 1870s from basic craft skills

(mechanic, hairdresser, chef, plumbing, carpentry, bricklaying, etc) all the way up to qualifications

equivalent to university master’s degrees and doctorates. The City and Guilds diploma of fellowship

is awarded to individuals who are nationally recognised through peer review as having achieved the

very highest level in competency-based achievement.

Traditional framework

The traditional apprenticeship framework’s purpose was to provide a supply of young people seeking

to enter work-based learning via apprenticeships by offering structured high-value learning and

transferable skills and knowledge. Apprenticeship training was enabled by linking industry with local

technical colleges and professional engineering institutions. The apprenticeship framework offered

a clear pathway and competency outcomes that addressed the issues facing the industry sector and

specific companies.

It was possible for apprentices to progress from national certificates and diplomas to engineering

degrees if they had the aptitude. The system allowed young people to find their level and still achieve

milestones along the path from apprenticeship into higher education via a polytechnic or university.

Though rare, it was possible for an apprentice to advance from vocational studies, to undergraduate

degree, to graduate study and earn a master’s degree or a PhD. The system was effective; industry

was assured of a supply of well educated and fit for work staff, local technical colleges offered

industry relevant courses that had a high measure of academic content and an apprentice was

prepared for professional life or higher education by the age of 21.

Revitalisation from 1990s onward

The National Apprenticeship Service was founded to coordinate apprenticeships in England.

Apprenticeship frameworks contain a number of separately certified elements:

• a knowledge-based element, typically certified through a qualification known as a ‘Technical

Certificate’;

• a competence-based element, typically certified through an NVQ;

• Functional Skills which are in all cases minimum levels of maths and English attainment and

in some cases additionally IT; and

• Employment Rights and Responsibilities (ERR) to show that the Apprentice has had a full

induction to the company or training programme, and is aware of those rights and

responsibilities that are essential in the workplace; this usually requires the creation of a

personal portfolio of activities, reading and instruction sessions, but is not examined.


Analysis of cost sharing mechanisms in other countries

A further area which was required to be explored as part of the survey, was to collect information

on the costs and cost sharing mechanism for TVET. Information which was found is summarised

below:

Malawi

At the supply level, the following funding is available for apprenticeship training:

1. Public technical colleges and community technical colleges are funded by the Government of

Malawi.

2. Private TEVET schools are mainly funded through fees paid by the students.

3. TEVETA administers apprenticeship programmes, the TEVET Levy (including funds for social

security benefits for apprentices), and government subvention to TEVET.

At demand level, students pay school fees to attend both public and private technical schools.

At employer level, arrangement can be made between TEVETA and the employer whereby in the

first year TEVATA pays 75% of the costs while the company covers 25%; in the second year the

costs are split 50-50%; in the third year TEVETA covers 25% while the employer pays 75%; and for

subsequent years of training, the full responsibility lies with the company.

According to TEVETA, employers contribute 1% of the payroll to the TEVET Levy Fund which is

managed by TEVETA. This fund is then used to provide reimbursements to employers on various

technical and vocational training programmes. By providing information on the training, the costs

they incurred, employers can claim a portion of these costs back from TEVETA based on

prearranged agreement.

(From GAN Malawi: Toolkit for Employers: Work Readiness Programmes for Youth)

Additionally, donations towards apprenticeships can be made via the following:

Ekari Foundation12

Ekari’s apprenticeship program is two-fold. First, for a maximum of six months Ekari provides

graduates assistance with resume distribution and interview preparation as well as connects them

12 http://www.ekarifoundation.org/en/apprenticeship-program-africa

http://www.ekarifoundation.org/en/apprenticeship-program-africa


with possible apprenticeship positions in Malawi. Second, once a graduate gains an apprenticeship

Ekari provides funds for accommodation, meals, and transport for a maximum of another six months.

Their goal is that each graduate will obtain relevant employment as a result of his/her apprenticeship.

Graduates are funded via the following donations:

1. An annual once of fee of US$4,000.00

2. A one-time contribution of US$150 will support one graduate through his/her apprenticeship

preparation period.

3. A monthly contribution of US$35 will support one graduate’s apprenticeship for 4 months.

Republic of Congo13

The Ministry of Technical Learning and Vocational Training of the Republic of Congo has

experimented with a vocational training model called Reinsertion through Communitarian

Apprenticeship (RCA). This program included youth from both urban and rural environments.

Partnership agreements were signed with enterprises and master-craftsmen in the following sectors:

• Construction,

• Hairdressing/beauty care,

• Cooking/bakery,

• Sewing,

• Ironwork, and

• Plumbing.

RCA’s modus operadi is as follows:

• 10 to 15 days of training/professional preparation within a training institution

• 3 months of immersion in a company

• Companies hiring trained apprentices.

In addition to being effective, this model is efficient and offers an excellent quality to cost ratio

(estimated cost between 300 and 400 euros per apprentice, depending on the chosen job). The only

downside of this model comes from its difficult application to some jobs, which requires longer

training (9, 12, 18 months and even more).

Ghana14

13 https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/iesf/document/thematic-brief-traditional-apprenticeship-africa

14 http://ghanaskills.org

https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/iesf/document/thematic-brief-traditional-apprenticeship-africa

http://ghanaskills.org/


The Ghana Skills Development Initiative (GSDI) is a project assisted by the German Government

via the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ GmbH, and implemented in

cooperation with the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET).

The GSDI aims at building capacity in the informal sector, which generates about 80-90 % of

employment in Ghana. To that end, the project seeks to improve the quality of the traditional

apprenticeship system which suffers from some structural deficiencies. Major challenges are a lack

of coordination and standardization of the training, as well as coping with technological

developments.

In order to upgrade the skills and qualifications in traditional technical and vocational training, the

project supports COTVETs’ innovative approach to introduce quality standards for the

apprenticeship system and complement the training at the workplaces with additional structured

training courses at selected training institutions. This new training scheme is based on national CBT

standards

The Ghana Skills Development Initiative (GSDI) approach to improve the quality of apprenticeships

will maintain the traditional training with the Master Craftsperson, but complement this with

structured courses for apprentices at training institutions based on CBT standards.

The overall framework for the modernized, cooperative apprenticeship system is depicted below:

• The duration of the Pilot Apprenticeship Training will be around 3 years, thus reflecting the

current structures of traditional apprenticeships.

• The training scheme is based on CBT occupational standards for Proficiency I (about 1.5 years)

and Proficiency II (about 3 years). To reflect the skills needs in the informal sector the standards

have been revised.

• The time allocations shall be around 80 % at the workplace /MCP and 20 % at the Training

Institutions (Training Provider, TP). Trade related deviations are possible.

• The contents assigned to the TPs are structured according to Units and are based on CBT Unit

Specifications and Teaching and Learning Materials.

• For the contents remaining with the MCP/Workplace, the existing CBT formats are inappropriate

in an informal sector context. Workplace guidelines for the MCP have been developed,

translating the contents of the standards into a simpler format.

Tanzania15

15 https://hwkdualsystem.co.tz

https://hwkdualsystem.co.tz/


Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) and the Handwerkskammer Hamburg,

Germany, have joined forces to help Tanzania create a skilled labour force, and to provide young

people easier access to the local labour market.

The Dual Apprenticeship Training System is designed to help people, without previous training, to

enter the job market as apprentices in a craft of their choice.

The dual system is comprised of alternating On-the-job and Off-the-job-training periods or blocks

during which young apprentices learn the basic, predominantly practical skills of a trade both in a

training institution workshop at VETA and in the real working environment as an employee at their

company.

Since 2011 a resident consultant from the Handwerkskammer Hamburg is providing managerial and

technical know-how to help VETA set up a Dual Apprenticeship Training System in Auto-mechanics

and Electrical in Dar es Salaam, and Hospitality in Moshi.

Newly renovated training facilities at VETA have been designed to offer an adequate training

environment for the apprentices to learn their skills hands-on.

During special workshops with representatives of the industries, tailor made training programs have

been designed to suit the needs of the local industries.

Pilot Project/Initial Phases:

A prolonged period of piloting has been necessary to thoroughly analyze the format and structure of

the Dual Apprenticeship System in the local context and to assure sustainability. Therefore, the initial

phases of this new course were set up as a pilot project to allow for later expansion after all

necessary trials and adjustments have been completed. Training began in May 2013 in Dar es

Salaam, with 16 apprentices each in auto mechanics and electrical installation. A month later, in

June 2013 training began in Moshi RVTSC with 16 apprentices in hospitality.

During the Piloting Period:

An appropriate practical oriented training programme has been developed. Testing is ongoing and

appropriate adjustments are being made accordingly. Appropriate certification is at present being

sourced and developed.


South Africa16

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT LEVY (SDL)

SDL is a levy imposed to encourage learning and development in South Africa and is determined by

an employer's salary bill. The funds are to be used to develop and improve skills of employees.

Who must pay SDL?

SDL is due by employers who have been registered. You can register once for all different tax types

using the client information system.

Top Tip: Where an employer expects that the total salaries will be more than R500 000 over the next

12 months, that employer becomes liable to pay SDL.

What steps must the employer take?

If an employer becomes liable, they need to register for SDL.

The following employers are exempt from paying SDL:

• Any public service employer in the national or provincial sphere of Government. (These

employers must budget for an amount equal to the levies due for training and education of their

employees).

• Any national or provincial public entity, if 80% or more of its expenditure is paid directly or

indirectly from funds voted by Parliament. (These employers must budget for an amount equal

to the training and education of their employees).

• Any public benefit organisation (PBO), exempt from paying Income Tax in terms of Section 10(1)

(cN) of the Income Tax Act No.58 of 1962, which only carries on certain welfare, humanitarian,

health care, religion, belief or philosophy public benefit activities or only provides funds to a PBO

and to whom a letter of exemption has been issued by the Tax Exemption Unit (TEU).

• Any municipality to which a certificate of exemption is issued by the Minister of Labour.

• Any employer whose total remuneration subject to SDL (leviable amount) paid/due to all its

employees over the next 12 month period won’t exceed R500 000. If this is the reason for

exemption, these types of employers are not required to register to pay SDL.

How much has to be paid

1% of the total amount paid in salaries to employees (including overtime payments, leave pay,

bonuses, commissions and lump sum payments).

16 http://www.sars.gov.za/TaxTypes/SDL/Pages


The amounts deducted or withheld by the employer must be paid to SARS on a monthly basis, by

completing the Monthly Employer Declaration (EMP201). The EMP201 is a payment declaration in

which the employer declares the total payment together with the allocations for PAYE, SDL, UIF

and/or Employment Tax Incentive (ETI).

What happens to the SDL Levy?

The levies are distributed via “SETA” (stands for Sector Education and Training Authority).


5. Survey Findings The findings in the followings sections are the perceptions the survey respondents. Some questions

in the survey, only specific respondent categories were asked and findings are being provided as

such.

It is important to mention that the comments and suggestions included in the report are as provided

by the respondents and are the views and perceptions of respondents and some may need to be

clarified through facts.

Profile of Respondents The respondents of the survey are from the following regions in Namibia:

Table 1: Categories and number of respondents

Number of respondents

Employers 62

SMEs (incl. informal enterprises) 36

Training Providers 12

Graduates 100

Total 210

For the enterprises and SMEs the following sector of the business is shown below:

Table 2: Economic sector of enterprises/businesses.

No. of respondents

No. of

respondents

Hospitality and tourism 17 Records management consultants 1

Mining and quarrying 9 Bookkeeping / Audits 1

Clothing production 8 Welding & Metal Fabrication 1

Freight Forwarding, Transport, Logistics & Warehousing

6 Concept development 1

Agriculture, forestry and fishing 6 Aviation 1

Retail / Wholesale Trade 5 Conformity assessment services 1

Bricklaying and Plastering 4 Event management 1

Catering / Take Away 3 Auto Mechanics 1

Office administration, information and communication technology

3 Business skills development 1

Construction 3 Manufacturing 1

Printing and art 2 Wholesale & Distribution 1

Cleaning services 2 Electricity and related industries 1

Human health and social work 2 Auto Mechanics and Auto Electrics 1

Human Resources Consultancy 2 Engineering 1

Beauty/hairdressing 2 Port industry (maritime) 1

Consulting (Environmental/ Renewable energy)

2 Furniture Manufacturing 1


Financial Services/banking 2 General Maintenance 1

Woodwork 1 Hand crafted leather goods 1

Supply and service of MF tractors, agricultural implements.

1

Table 3: Number of years in operation

Employers (large enterprises) SMEs Total

Less than one year 0% 8% 3%

Between one and five years 5% 36% 16%

Between five and ten years 15% 33% 21%

Longer than ten years 79% 22% 58%

Not answered 2% 0% 1%

It appears that informal enterprise are not as long in operation as large enterprises – 22% of SMEs

are operating their business for longer than 10 years compared to 79% of the large enterprises

interviewed.

Table 4: Number of employees

Employers (large enterprises)

SMEs Total

Between 0 and 10 6 32 38

Between 11 and 100 27 2 29

Between 100 and 500 11 2 13

Between 500 and 1000 12 0 12

More than 1000 3 0 3

One qualified professional 1 0 1

276 permanent and 600 temporary/contract * 1 0 1

297 permanent, 49 apprentices, graduates and interns *

1 0 1

Total 62 36 98

* These numbers were specified by the employers

Some profiling details of the training institution/providers are shown below:

• 11 out of the 12 training institutions interviewed are registered as a training provider /

facilitator with the NTA.

• 9 out of the 12 training institutions interviewed are accredited as a training provider / facilitator

with the NQA


Table 5: Courses that are being offered

% of respondents

% of respondents

Bricklaying and Plastering 50% Office Administration & Information and Communication Technology

58%

Auto Mechanics 42% Welding & Metal Fabrication 50%

Auto Electrics 25% Clothing Production 33%

Electrical General 33% Electricity and related industries 8%

Joinery & Cabinetmaking 50% Hairdressing 8%

Plumbing & Pipefitting 50% Hospitality & Tourism 42%

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

8% Mining and quarrying 0%

Human health and social work activities

0% Others mentioned: Counseling and Technical training and development

The total does not add up to 100%, because more than one course is being offered by some training

providers.

Some profiling details of the graduates are shown below:

Out of the 100 graduates interviewed, 88 were trained at a VTC, while 12 were trained at a private

or other training institution.

Table 6: The name of the institution where graduates have been trained or studied lastly

% of respondents

Windhoek VTC 27%

Eenhana VTC 19%

Rundu VTC 12%

Zambezi VTC 10%

Valombola VTC 10%

Okakarara VTC 8%

Philippi Trust Namibia 6%

Nakayale VTC 2%

NIMT 2%

UNAM 1%

Youth Africa VTC 1%

IUM 1%

NUST 1%


Table 7: In which occupation/industry/course have respondents been being trained or are

being trained

No. of respondents

Plumbing and Pipefitting 19

Office Administration & Information and Communication Technology 17

Joinery and Cabinetmaking 12

Electrical General 11

Bricklaying and Plastering 9

Welding & Metal Fabrication 7

Human health and social work activities 6

Auto Mechanics 6

Fitter & Turner 4

Clothing Production 2

Hospitality & Tourism 2

Electricity and related industries 2

Air conditioning and refrigeration 2

Mining and quarrying 1

Table 8: Have respondents graduated?

Yes No

VTC 92% 8%

Private/other Training Institution

83% 17%

Total 91% 9%

Table 9: Which type of qualification/certification have respondents up to date received?

Bachelor Certificate Diploma

I completed level 3 but have not

yet graduated

Not answered

VTC 0% 86% 11% 1% 2%


25% 67% 0% 0% 8%

Total 3% 83% 10% 1% 3%


VOCATIONAL SKILLS AND TRAINING IN NAMIBIA

Figure 1: Perceptions on whether sufficient vocational skills are available, as demanded by businesses in Namibia

This question was only posed to the large enterprises and it shows that the majority of respondents

are of the perception that vocational skills are not sufficient as demanded by businesses in Namibia

– 37% said that generally they are not sufficient, 44% feel that there is significant skills deficits and

11% agreed that there are minor skills deficits.

However, further in this report it shows that 50% of the 100 graduates interviewed are unemployed

and only 38% are working in the profession in which they have been trained in. This raises the

question why are there skills deficits and contrary, why are graduates struggling to find employment?

Is it a skills mismatch that contributes to this gap?

5%

37%

11%

44%

3%Generally, yes

Generally, no

There are minor skills deficits

There are significant skillsdeficits

Don't know

This section focuses on:

Sufficiency of vocational skills

Sufficiency of vocational training

Level of competence of graduates

tertiary and vocational education in Namibia meeting the business needs


Figure 2: Perceptions on whether sufficient vocational training is offered in Namibia

Yes, definitely

Fairly Not in all

professions Not at all

Don't know/ Not

answered

Employers 5% 13% 60% 18% 5%

SMEs 6% 39% 33% 17% 6%

Training Providers 0% 25% 58% 17% 0%

Total 5% 23% 51% 17% 5%

In terms of sufficient vocational training being offered in Namibia, the results show that there is a

concern across the board that vocational training in some professions is lacking – 17% felt very

strongly that training is not at all sufficiently being offered, 51% agreed that vocational training is not

sufficient in all professions and only 5% of the respondents are convinced that there is enough

vocational training as demanded by business.

Especially, the large enterprises (employers) expressed a concern with 60% percent of them

believing that there is gap in terms of vocational training offered in Namibia in meeting the needs of

the business community, followed by 58% of the training providers agreeing that there is a gap in

some professions.

Looking at this finding, together with the fact that 32% of the respondents indicated that tertiary and

vocational education in Namibia does not meet the needs of the business community and 53% feel

that it only meets some needs, it is evident that there is a necessity for additional vocational

education.

5%

23%

51%

17%5% Yes, definitely

Fairly

Not in all professions

Not at all

Don't know/ Notanswered


Figure 3: To what extent does tertiary and vocational education in Namibia meet the needs

of the business community?

The chart shows that there seems to be a mismatch between the tertiary and vocational education

in Namibia and what the business community expects – 32% of the respondents indicated that

tertiary and vocational education in Namibia does not meet the needs of the business community

and 53% feel that it does only meet some needs.

Quite interestingly, the training providers interviewed are also sceptical that the tertiary and

vocational training meets the needs of the business community. Looking at this result poses the

question, why training providers do not adjust their curriculum and training to better meet the needs

of the business community and strengthens the need to bring industry leaders and training providers

together to align curricula and have an integrated approach and partnership between the different

parties mentioned.

Table 10: How well equipped/competent are the graduates who have been trained in Namibia

for the job market?

Very well Well Averagely Poorly

Very poorly

Don't know/ Not answered

Employers 3% 3% 42% 34% 18% 0%

Training Providers 8% 25% 42% 0% 8% 17%

Graduates 55% 36% 7% 1% 0% 1%

Total 33% 24% 22% 13% 7% 2%

The question was posed to the enterprises and training providers and a similar question was posed

to the graduates, namely how competent they feel. The results of all are shown in the table above.

It shows that while graduates generally feel competent (91% agreed), the enterprises interviewed

are not as convinced – 52% indicated that they feel that graduates are not well equipped for the job

market (34% poorly and 18% very poorly).

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Employers TrainingProviders

Total

11% 17% 12%

52%58%

53%

34%25%

32%

3% 3%Don't know

Does not meet theneeds

Meets some needs

Meets most needs


It is distressing to see that graduates are made to believe that they are competent or well equipped,

while it is evident that the employers do not always agree – a gap is apparent where 91% of

graduates feel competent and only 6% of the employers interviewed feel the same.

Reasons substantiating the negative ratings are as follows:

Employers

• Lack of practical experience

• Relevance of training and student attitude

• We are not aware of any training available in Namibia for retail trade industry. The people

we employ are mostly school leavers who we give on-the-job training, however even our

school leavers are not competent in basic things like English, Accounting, Maths and

Business.

• There are no competent training centres in Namibia

• Applicants don't seem to master the basics with regard to communication, ethics, etc.

• Pass rate is very low where a graduate can get a diploma with less than 33% of the

necessary knowledge. The technology is not the same anymore and the basic skills

learned at the training centres are old and out of date.

• Applicants for positions we offer are rarely sufficiently prepared.

• The curriculum that the institutes are offering, does not competently prepare students for

the market.

• Candidates lack basic skills and knowledge for tasks that are simple. In Hospitality the

problem is compounded by the fact that candidates lack basic communication skills which

are essential in the service industry.

• Too little practical exposure. Primary education is not preparing people enough for entering

the next level.

• Education standards are poor, graduates seem to learn the parrot way

• A lot of Grade 12 school leavers are not on a comparable international level. It is hard to

teach someone professional skills if national secondary educational level is too low.

Candidates from local tertiary institutions are also not comparable to persons from

industrial nations.

• Failure to link theory to practical/ Graduates lack work experience.

• Poor trainers and lack of training equipment.

• General education is poor.

• Students expect to walk into a top position without gaining the necessary experience and

skills. Companies who are eager to promote BEE are also to hastily and eagerly appoint


students just finishing training into senior positions, instead of allowing them to move

through the ranks.

• Graduates are trained to cover a broad spectrum of the field of study and that leaves a

gap for specialized areas within the field. General lack of corporate skills that lengthen the

induction period of an apprentice.

• The skills of graduates are not what the industry wants. There is a mismatch from theory

vs. practical.

• Graduates lack basic behavioral competencies/skills when entering the workplace; they

may have sound theoretical knowledge but application is core; for this ability to work in

teams; attitude; communication and discipline remain critical.

• All our training is done in-house only or with practical experience at other companies

• Graduates lack technical training.

• Vocational schools need to cater for private and public businesses with highly professional

skills.

• Youth is ill equipped to be formally trained, lacking basic school skills like writing,

reasoning, general knowledge and lingual capacity.

• Graduates require extensive additional training before they can add value

• Not all students are exposed to experimental learning. NTA must start funding student

allowances to ensure all students get experience needed.

• Graduates think they are management material but many cannot even speak English well.

Understanding instructions is a problem and many have never actually worked practically

in the field. Many also have no passion for the job and have not been advised well.

• People receive certificates etc. but do not 'display' the skill they claim to have.

• I think that the vocational trained people that we got in the 4 years at this lodge - the biggest

problem is the language barrier, especially with guests from abroad.

• Insufficient semi-skills people (plumbers, electrician, etc.)

• Still need experience in the field of work.

• Intensive practical training lacks in most organisations

• The courses do not meet industry standards.

• Job market require vocational skills - over supply of graduates and diploma holders

• The market is saturated with graduates, but most have extremely poor Gr 12 marks, a lot

having poor theoretical knowledge.

• Just had two students for internship and they were not qualified even if they were in their

3rd year.

• Theory & Practice do not match.

• Lack of job attachments.


• There is quite a large gap between training received at tertiary institutions and what the

needs are of the business community. Also, training of graduates should not only focus on

technical or discipline specific training, but should also cover basic skills such as business

etiquette, communication skills, etc.

• They lack basic skills like maths or destination knowledge.

• They need training to be ready for the work environment.

• Too little exposure to real world of work - apprenticeship, internship, job-shadowing not

adequate. And where this is available, there is little guidance from tertiary/vocational

institutions on what the business should transfer or assess in terms of knowledge and

skills.

• Many find it difficult to put theory into practice. I suppose there has been too much

emphasis on the theory side of education as opposed to practical life of learning.

• Too much explaining, showing and controlling is necessary.

• Many seem to be trained in skills that are not appropriate or necessary for the jobs they

aspire to get. More importantly, most applicants don't seem to understand what it means

to be employed, and many come with unjustifiable feelings of entitlement.

• VTC trainers and coordinators are not equipped enough as trainers. They lack the relevant

competency and experience in their industry / field. Lacks a direct link between industry

requirements and what is being offered as part of the curriculum. Very limited practical

training that can be considered as competent.

• Misconceptions about the world of work

• When curriculum is drawn up there is little input from the industries. There is very little

partnership between institutions and industries.

• More graduates without job.

• No practical experience of graduates, very little general business understanding.

Training Providers

• The unit standards approach is not useable, of low standard and costly.

• As far as vocational education is concerned, there is a shortage of qualified VET Trainers.

Most of the trainers are below level 5, while VET graduates have level 3 certificates.

• VTCs not up to industry needs and lack of new equipment.

• The curriculum of some occupations has limited and shallow content, some are outdated

especially the NTA curriculum. These curriculum need to be reviewed to include all trends

in the industrial market.

• The job attachment, only some attend and the industry is too small to cater for all.


• Basic Education lets down most of the trainees most of the time, poor literacy and maths

skills cripple VET training and yet VET training gets blamed for producing ineffective

graduates.

Table 11: Have employers ever employed employees who have received vocational training

from a training institution?

Employers SMEs Total

Yes 42% 79% 65%

No 58% 19% 34%

Not answered 0% 2% 1%

The table shows that around 2/3 of the employers and SMEs have already employed graduates

who have received vocational training from a training institution. The SMEs interviewed are

showing a much higher level of interest in employing graduates in vocational professions as 79%

indicated having employed people in vocational professions compared to 42% of the larger

enterprises.

When asked to provide their opinion on the employability of graduates, the following is evident:

Table 12: How do respondents rate the knowledge and skills of employees who have

received vocational training from a training institution?

Very well Well Averagely Poorly Very poorly Don't know

Employers 2% 21% 56% 19% 0% 2%

SMEs 27% 0% 67% 0% 7% 0%

Total 7% 16% 58% 15% 1% 1%

The results show that there is a fairly consistent consent with the majority of the larger employers

and SMEs rating the knowledge and skills of graduates who have received vocational training

from a training institution in Namibia averagely (56% and 67% respectively). 27% of the SMEs

provided a positive rating compared to 23% of their larger counterparts. On the contrary, 19% of

the large enterprises have a negative perception about the knowledge and skills compared to 7%

of the SMEs interviewed.

In addition to the above, the training providers were asked, what contributions they make to help

with the mismatch between the needs the businesses have and the level of competence in

vocational professions of young Namibians and a number of good recommendations as made by

the training providers are listed below:

• All VTC's to be run by NIMT.


• Curriculum developers should work hand in hand when developing the curriculum content

in order to train what the industry needs. At the same time the trainers and trainees should

be well exposed to the industries in their individual field in order to have graduates who fit

in the market. That is one way on how skills gap can be reduced.

• Do marketing at businesses who will allow them.

• Get the "training levy" in operation so that providers can start training to newest standards.

• Increased cooperation between training providers and the business community in

curriculum and job attachment issues.

• Mentorship programs that are based on evaluation not just consultations.

• Technical training and development will result in skills development and expertise for

industry and mining in the areas of safety, freight handling, lifting machinery and earth

moving equipment.

• The training providers must train according to the needs of the industries, the two parties

need to meet regularly to update each other.

• There should be annual stakeholder engagement meetings to understand the need of the

industry and with new equipment in the industry.

• Training providers should train for the industry, meaning training should be demand-driven

taking. Curricula development should be based on the needs of businesses.

• Training providers to collaborate with specific industry and develop training programmes

in consultation with those industries. Trainees enrolled with the training providers must be

linked with a company who specialized in the area that the trainee is studying, so that the

trainee will be trained both at the institution with the assistance of the company where the

trainee is linked to and where possible employed by the same industry who contributed

to his/her studies. These may help in training as per the demand in order to make sure

that oversupply in certain areas/trades is minimized. This will ensure quality training that

focuses on quality and not the quantity.

• Closer links with industry; industry to be encouraged to support local providers to train in

pertinent courses, more aggressive import and creation of qualifications, especially from

SAQA, and remove the delays of importing essentially identical quals.

CURRENT SITUATION ON VOCATIONAL

TRAINING IN NAMIBIA


Opportunities for “Work Integrated Learning”

Status on RPL (recognition of prior learning)

Linking school, VET and higher education programs

Perceptions on a possible dual system


69% of the training providers and associations interviewed are of the opinion that currently

apprenticeship programmes are not sufficiently offered in Namibia and when asked how they rate

the opportunities for getting trained through an apprenticeship programme in Namibia including

“Work Integrated Learning”, around half of the training providers and 63% of the graduates

interviewed perceive the opportunities for getting trained through an apprenticeship programme

positively.

Table 13: Rating of opportunities for getting trained through an apprenticeship programme

in Namibia incl. “Work Integrated Learning”

Very good Good Average Poor Very poor Don't know

Training Providers 17% 33% 17% 25% 8% 0%

Graduates 28% 35% 16% 5% 5% 11%

Total 27% 35% 16% 7% 5% 10%

Figure 4: Is there recognition of prior learning in Namibia?

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process of acknowledgement of a person's current skills

and knowledge no matter how, when or where the learning occurred and refers to trainees who

have acquired competencies through work or informal learning that can be assessed and have these

competencies recognised. This recognition may be used to gain national certification and / or gain

entry to VET qualifications, in some cases with advanced standing.

6%

55%

29% 2%

8%Greatly

To some extent

Not much

Not at all

Don't know/ Not answered


Only 6% of the employers interviewed agreed that prior learning is recognised greatly in Namibia,

55% feel to some extent, 29% that it is not much recognised and 2% feel that prior learning is not

receiving any recognition.

The training providers have given their opinion on the RPL as follows:

• RPL needs to be promoted more especially in Namibia where there are no real opportunities.

• In the technical training field, recognition of prior learning is an effective tool in assessing the

competence of the learner in a formative assessment and remedial training on weak areas.

• It seems to be working well but awareness is needed.

• NTA is not serious about RPL due to a lack of support from NTA to providers.

• RPL is a good initiative and will help many people's efforts be recognized and improve their

livelihood.

• RPL is good for the skills development and recognition in the country.

• The official approach is wrong. NIMT's RPL has proved itself over 20 years.

• This initiative is excellent, although currently going at a slow pace; the initiative will benefit

most of the semiskilled workers and eventually contribute to the dream of Namibia to become

an industrialized Nation with strong and qualified workforce.

• This is quite a very good initiative for those who have intense experience in some skills with

no recognized qualification to operate in the job market without being looked down at. They

need to recognize their experience and skills through RPL will encourage a lot of people to

work hard and gain that recognition in order to be able to compete in the market world.

• This just started last year (2016), therefore it is not easy to form an opinion on it. However, in

its current form it does not make provisions for entry into VET qualifications.

• RPL candidates are not trainees, RPL is a good programme leading to mobility and increased

self-esteem, employers support it to boost morale and find skills gaps. RPL is a short term

solution that formal WIL can replace.

Opinions on possibly linking school, VET and higher education programs

The survey probed the opinions of the training providers on possibly linking school, VET and higher

education programs, i.e. that schools already start with inclusion of training in vocational training and

that some unit standards are aligned and there is a strong agreement on it as can be seen from the

comments below:

• Vocational training should be included in the basic education curriculum.

• I believe this will be a good start to uplift the interest of learners into vocational skills training

and those who are not interested will easily choose the academic path right at school.


• This is the best way to go. The link is really needed as it will even help with articulation

from vocational training to universities. This will ensure a good supply of qualified training

personnel.

• There must be a strong link between vocational and higher education for further training

articulation.

• It is good to ensure proper articulation on qualifications.

• It is an excellent idea to link the schools to VET and higher education programs. These will

allow continuation from basic, intermediate and advanced skills at tertiary level. Currently

there seems to be a vacuum in between school curriculum and VET and between VET

curriculum and Higher education programs in terms of content and possibly articulation.

• Unit standards to be phased out. Who will be responsible for quality assurance?

• It would be excellent if VET training programmes could be offered at beginner's level in

schools. In fact, skills like needlework, woodwork, home economics, were offered in

schools before independence. Unsure why these were taken out of schools.

• I think this would be ideal, students should however spend at least 1 month in the

profession.

• Not viable for technical training

Table 14: Perceptions on a possible dual system, where trainees work and attend theoretical

training in vocational professions

I am in favour of a dual system

I am not in favour of a dual system

Not answered

Employers (large enterprises) 89% 10% 2%

Training Providers 92% 0% 8%

Total 89% 8% 3%

The survey tested the opinions of the larger enterprises and training providers on a possible dual

system, where trainees work and attend theoretical training in vocational professions and it shows

that vast majority is in favour of it. Across many countries, especially in Europe, the dual system is

well developed

Table 15: If in favor of a dual system, what is preferred length of such a system in years?

Length of learning by practical working

Employers

(large enterprises)

Training Providers

Total

40% 1 1


50% 3 3

60% 1 1 2

70% 1 1

1 year 10 2 12

12-18 Months 2 2

2 months 1 1

2 to 3 years 2 2 4

2 years 16 16

3 to 6 months 1 1

3 years 4 4

3-5 years 1 1

4 to 6 years 1 1

4 years 1 1 2

6 months 1 2 3

6 months to 1 year 1 1

4 days per week 1 1

Depending on the profession - for a professional person as set out by the NCAQS

3 3

Generally this system is in place - 6 months academics, 6 months practical.

1 1

The number of years that the employer support the employee financially for training expenditure

1 1

As per NIMT schedule: year 1 = 6 months; year 2 = 6 months; year 3 = 6 months

1 1


Length of theoretical training at a training institution

Training Providers

Employers (large

enterprises) Total

30% 1 1

40% 1 1 2

50% 3 3

60% 1 1

1 to 2 years 1 1 2

1 year 2 14 16

2 days per week 1 1

2 to 3 years 3 3

2 years 1 7 8

3 months per year 3 3

3 years 7 7

3-6 Months 2 2

4 to 6 years 1 1

4 years 1 1

6 months 1 1 2

6 months to 1 year 2 1 3

As per NIMT schedule: year 1 = 6 months; year 2 = 6 months; year 3 = 6 months

1 1 2

It would depend on the course 1 1

Output based training, therefore not fix to a time limit 1 1

Depending on the profession - for a professional person as set out by the NCAQS

1 1

The number of years that the employer supports the employee financially for training expenditure.

1 1

The two tables above show a wide variety of views and opinions on the length of practical and

theoretical training, but the highest level of consensus appears to be 2 years practical training and

1 year theoretical training.

The following questions were posed to graduates only:

Table 16: Which type of qualification/certification have graduates up to date received?

Bachelor Certificate Diploma

I completed level 3 but

have not yet graduated

Not answered

VTC 0% 85% 11% 1% 2%

Private/other Training Institution 25% 67% 0% 0% 8%

Total 3% 83% 10% 1% 3%


It is clear that for vocational training, a certificate is the most preferred type of certification. In total,

83% of the graduates have received a certificate. Private training providers also tend towards a

bachelor with 25% of the graduates having a bachelor degree.

Table 17: Highest level of education before starting this vocational training (entry level

requirements)

Less than grade 10

Grade 10 Grade 12 Not answered

VTC 7% 14% 80% 0%

Private/other Training Institution 17% 0% 75% 8%

Total 8% 12% 79% 1%

There is a high level of consensus amongst graduates that they have completed grade 12 before they

started the vocational training, 79% have agreed.

Table 18: Current situation or status in employment?

VTC


Total

Employer 1% 0% 1%

Full time employee 16% 33% 18%

Part time employee 14% 17% 14%

Self-employed (own business or family business)

17% 0% 15%

Still on attachment 2% 0% 2%

Unemployed 50% 50% 50%

This outcome is extremely concerning; 50% of the graduates mentioned that they are unemployed after

having completed their vocational training. This figure is the same irrelevant whether they have been

trained at a VTC or private institution.

Figure 5: Are graduates working in the profession which they have been trained in?

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

VTC Private/other TrainingInstitution

Total

39% 33% 38%

61% 67% 62%No

Yes


This question is seen as very important in the survey because training investments loses its meaning

if graduates are not working in the field in which they have been trained.

More advice on career choices, together with offering more vocational subjects already at schools

as elaborated further in this report might be areas to focus on. Young people often do not have the

know-how on what the various professions involve and may take decisions which are based on

availability of courses rather than on what they would want to do.

It is recommended that more effort should be made at school level to match applicants with the right

apprenticeship or traineeship. This can be done with the aid of aptitude tests, tips, and information.

Internship at school level can also aid in giving scholars the opportunity to get more information in

required fields.

Furthermore, job attachments and WIL (work integrated learning) also as part of the current programme

of CATS will assist trainees to take the correct career decisions which in turn will assist them to be

prepared for the job market.

Looking at the various professions in the table below, shows us that graduates being in professions

relating to the building industries are less likely to work in their professions, which could have a

connection with the current halt of building projects for the Government.

For Office Administration & Information and Communication Technology’s the picture looks slightly

brighter with more than half of the graduates who completed their training actually work in this field.

Table 19: Are graduates working in the profession which they have been trained in by

profession?

N = No. of respondents

Yes No

Air conditioning and refrigeration 2 50% 50%

Auto Mechanics 6 50% 50%

Bricklaying and Plastering 9 11% 89%

Clothing Production 2 0% 100%

Electrical General 11 55% 45%

Electricity and related industries 2 50% 50%

Fitter & Turner 4 0% 100%

Hospitality & Tourism 2 50% 50%

Human health and social work activities 6 17% 83%

Joinery and Cabinetmaking 12 50% 50%

Mining and quarrying 1 0% 100%

Office Administration & Information and Communication Technology 17 59% 41%

Plumbing and Pipefitting 19 32% 68%

Welding & Metal Fabrication 7 29% 71%

Total 38% 62%


Table 20: If graduates are not working in their trained profession, what are the reasons?

No. of respondents

I could not get a job in my profession 46

I am currently waiting for my certification 2

Still on attachment 2

Lack of experience required by companies in my field profession 2

Do not like the profession that I have been trained in 1

I am planning on opening my own company but do not have enough material and companies refuse to recruit due to economic crisis

1

Lack of job opportunities in companies for our profession 1

Maybe my qualification does not meet the companies’ requirements 1

Still busy hunting for a job 1

I did not yet start looking for a job 1

I got retrenched 1

It's more attractive to work in another profession 1

Not finding a job in their profession stands out most prominently as reason for not working in their

trained profession. It is however not clear on how much effort graduates put into finding a job in their

professions and how flexible they are in terms of moving to a different town, working at flexible hours

etc.

A job attachment, internship or work integrated learning during their training could be ways to ensure

that graduates are better equipped and knowledgeable on what the expectations of a certain profession

are.

Table 21: What is the average percentage of “drop outs” (trainees who leave before

completing the full training course/before graduating)?

Employers (large

enterprises)

SMEs Training

Providers Total

0% 30% 0% 0% 18%

0 as there is no official qualification 2% 0% 0% 1%

Between 1% & 5% 18% 41% 27% 25%

Between 5% & 20% 11% 12% 27% 14%

Between 20% & 50% 20% 6% 9% 15%

More than 50% 5% 0% 0% 3%

Difficult to say, but generally everyone complete his/her training.

2% 0% 0% 1%

N/A - we only provide practical job exposure of apprenticeships

2% 0% 0% 1%

Don't know/ Not applicable / Not answered 9% 41% 36% 21%

Quite interestingly, it appears that SMEs experience a higher drop-out rate compared to the larger

employers, 41% of the SME claim that between 1% and 5% of the trainees drop out compared to only


18%. Reasons could relate to lower job security, lower remuneration, no outlook to receive a

certification or training being to informal and unstructured.

Table 22: Main reasons for dropping out

% of respondents

No interest or motivation to continue 53%

It is more attractive to work in another profession 18%

Lack of financial support 18%

Do not feel competent to work in the profession that they have been trained in 12%

Do not like the profession that they have been trained in 14%

Salary expectations 4%

Lack of commitment and ambition 4%

Family & Financial Reasons 4%

They have not been properly educated and are overwhelmed by reality of working life 4%

The trainee being unsure of gaining employment in that field on completion 2%

Pregnancy 2%

With the training background they accumulate, they are employed by other employers before the programme is completed and therefore before we can appoint them fully ourselves. 2%

Employees seem to not take the job seriously 2%

Shortsightedness - A meager increase in income with another employer means that employees leave 2%

Not capable in meeting the standards required 2%

Other interests - think they will earn more somewhere else 2%

The most common reasons being “No interest or motivation to continue “is of concern and relates

rather towards to poor attitude of the youth than towards economic conditions which might hamper

the outlook of being employed in a certain profession.

Another reason that is often cited for the incidence of high drop-out rate and/or unemployment

among graduates is the absence of entrepreneurial training in the school curriculum.


NEEDS AND PROVISION OF VOCATIONAL

TRAINING IN NAMIBIA

Figure 6: Are companies currently in need of skilled personnel?

A further area that was explored in the survey was whether enterprises are in need of skilled staff.

58% of the companies interviewed agreed that they have a need for skilled staff. This again

emphasizes the fact that sufficient training opportunities are available but also to align training with

the needs of the business community.

Apart from that, 81% of the large enterprises interviewed indicated that they envisage that they will

be in need of skilled personnel within the next five years.

Table 23: Do enterprises have the ability and opportunities to train employees in the required

professions?

Yes No Not answered


SMEs 78% 22% 0%

Total 68% 31% 1%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Employers (largeenterprises)

SMEs Total

65%47%

58%

35%53%

42%

No

Yes


Need of skilled staff

Provision of internal and external training

Challenges in providing training

Possible interest to offer job attachment

tertiary and vocational education in Namibia meeting the business needs


The survey probed the opinion of respondents as to whether they have the ability and opportunities

to train employees in the required professions. The professions which stood out most prominently

in needing skilled personnel are the following:

• Hospitality and tourism

• Mining and quarrying

• Clothing production

• Freight Forwarding, Transport, Logistics & Warehousing

• Agriculture, forestry and fishing

• Retail / Wholesale Trade

• Bricklaying and Plastering

• Office administration, information and communication technology

Table 24: Major challenges in providing training

Employers

(large enterprises)

SMEs Total

Lack of funds 3 16 19

Lack of skills in terms of trainers 11 2 13

Lack of time 10 1 11

Lack of funds and lack of skills in terms of trainers 4 3 7

Lack of commitment from employees / candidates 2 3 5

Lack of funds and lack of time 3 3

Lack of time and lack of commitment from employees 2 2

Lack of time and lack of skills in terms of trainers 2 2

Lack of funds and lack of commitment from employees 2 2

Lack of interest from the employees / trainees 1 1

Lack of time, lack of skills in terms of trainers, poor matric or Grade 11 results

1 1

Lack of time and qualified employees are pirated by Parastatals at enormous packages

1 1

Lack of scope. We are specialized finance organization 1 1

No tenders 1 1

Training modules 1 1

Lack of funds, current economic situation does not justify the expense to train

1 1

Lack of funds and absence of "white-listing" status (country) 1 1

Lack of time, it needs lots of time to train employees yourself 1 1

Lack of time, Lack of skills in terms of trainers, Poor planning 1 1

Lack of funds and background of employees varied. Quality of VTC training depends on your training centre. Industry has a high turnover due to rural areas, personal preferences, needing to support family members at home.

1 1

Lack of time and appropriate courses not available locally 1 1

Lack of funds and lack of space 1 1


It is possible, but it is so difficult to get people to pass learners, and then authorities make it a challenge to get appointments etc. for driver's test

1 1

Lack of skills in terms of trainers / Rotation in different areas has to be facilitated and be supported by good mentors.

1 1

Lack of skills in terms of trainers, one has to obtain a nursing degree before you are allowed to work with patients

1 1

The results of this question show interesting results; whilst the larger enterprises mostly agreed that

a lack of skilled trainers and lack of time being the biggest challenges in offering training, amongst

the SMEs the highest level of concern is a lack of funds.

Worldwide and especially in African countries, SMEs are known to be extremely important role-

players when it comes to training people in vocational professions, however unfortunately, this is

often not recognized because the training provided by SMEs is rather on an informal and less

structured. SMEs focus more on practical hand-on and work based learning.

Furthermore, SMEs have an inclination to employ more labour-intensive production processes than

large enterprises which often involve vocational professions. Consequently, they contribute

significantly to the provision of productive employment opportunities, the generation of income and

eventually, the reduction of poverty. Therefore, SMEs are a major contributor to private sector

employment.

Large enterprises on the contrary are often more involved in technical areas or more specialised

fields which is supported by the fact that their major challenges include lack of skills in terms of

trainers, followed by lack of time which relate to deadlines which the larger and mostly private

enterprises have to meet.

Table 25: Have enterprises ever provided vocational training to employees?

Internal Training

Yes No Don't know/ Not answered


SMEs 64% 28% 8%

Total 65% 29% 6%

External Training

Yes No Don't know/ Not answered


SMEs 11% 58% 31%

Total 40% 38% 22%


The results clearly support, as previously mentioned above, that SMEs often do not have the

opportunities or funds to offer external training – only 11% agreed that they have ever offered external

training compared to 56% of their larger counterparts.

In terms of internal training being provided, there is a relative strong agreement amongst large

enterprises and SMEs with around two thirds having offered training.

Since internal training is more popular, it would however be important to have some sort of quality

assessment of the training and certification which would enable employees to use their skills in

different companies. However, this also depends on the responsibility of covering the costs of the

training as it probably cannot be expected from the employer to solely carry the costs of training.

Table 26: What certification do the employees receive?

Employers (large

enterprises) SMEs Total

Certificate 32 8 40

No certification given 1 6 7

Certificate and Diploma 2 2

Diploma 2 2

Certificates, diplomas and degrees 1 1

We only provide practical job exposure component to apprentices from NIMT. We have in the past supported bursary students who all completed degree qualifications.

1 1

CPD and MAP points 1 1

Brand specific certificate 1 1

CPD points and Certificate 1 1

None - for internal training 1 1

Attendance certificate 1 1

Driver license, internal qualifications, our industry does not have official qualifications

1 1

Just a report to take to school. 1 1

For vocational training a certificate is most popular. The table however also shows that the SMEs

tend not to give any certification.

Furthermore, the survey made provision for obtaining the opinions of the SMEs on how long it takes

until employees are competent to do the job.


Table 27: Length of training until employees are competent to do the job

% of respondents

1 year or less 65%

Between 1 year and 2 years 24%

Longer than 3 years 6%

Not applicable / Not answered 6%

Table 28: Interest in offering trainees and/or graduates some kind of job attachment

Yes No Not answered


SMEs 72% 22% 6%

Total 83% 14% 3%

On the question whether enterprises are interested in offering trainees and/or graduates some kind

of job attachment (could be in the form of internships/ apprenticeships etc.), there is an

overwhelming willingness (83%) to offer some kind of job attachment.

Table 29: Profession in which enterprises would be willing to offer internships/

apprenticeships

Employers

(large

enterprises)

SMEs Total

Dressmaking/ Sewing and hair dressing 6 6

Human resources 2 1 3

Catering / Chef/ waitress 1 2 3

Quantity Surveying 2 2

Tourism 1 1 2

Technical skills 1 1 2

Any positions within our company, sales persons, merchandisers, cashiers, cooks/chefs, bakers, block men and managers.

2 2

Boiler Maker & Welder Fabricator 2 2

Operations management 2 2

Administrative / General Business 2 2

Arts and crafts 1 1

Manufacturing marula jam 1 1

Waitron, bar attendant, cooks and chefs and receptionist. 1 1

Brick layer, carpenter, etc. 1 1

Office administration; combination of Environment and tourism 1 1

Business skills development 1 1

Taxation 1 1

Clearing & Forwarding Consultants 1 1


We offer internships in all hospitality related profession. On average we offer placements to 60-65 students per year for 4 months. Specifics: Rotation placements include Housekeeping, kitchen, and service. Guiding if applicable (interest, driver’s license) Chef-specific interns for cooking students ( NUST – Hospitality Courses with Ralf Herrgott , Aili Catering cell 081 2626241)

1 1

Clothing manufacturing and designing. 1 1

Marketing, Economics and English 1 1

Depending what is available at such time 1 1

Production or marketing 1 1

Drill assistants, depth controllers, but we have 3 at moment, that is all we can handle

1 1

Sales, Warehousing & Logistics 1 1

Electrical 1 1

Tour Consultant 1 1

Electrical, fitter and turner, C+I, Mining Engineer, Metallurgical Engineer

1 1

We currently offer apprenticeship job attachments in the following trades: Electrician; Fitter & Turner; Boilermaker & Welder; Air-conditioning; Petrol & Diesel Mechanic and Instrumentation. We currently offer Artisan Internships (for newly traded artisans) in the following trades: Boilermakers & Welders; Electricians and Fitters & Turners. We currently offer Graduate Development Programmes in the following disciplines: Metallurgy; Chemical Engineering; Radiation and Environment.

1 1

Electronics 1 1

All fields / departments: Front Office, Food & Beverage; Housekeeping; Maintenance; Spa and Kitchen

1 1

Engineering 1 1

Manufacturing of leather products 1 1

Engineering, Technical, Laboratory, Logistics 1 1

Nursing if possible and other short courses that may assist in this field

1 1

Food and Beverage, housekeeping, front office and finance. 1 1

Artisans, Marine Engineers and Deck Officers 1 1

Freight Forwarding 1 1

Quality assurance, fish processing, administration and maintenance

1 1

Hairdressing 1 1

Reception/ Housekeeping 1 1

Housekeeping, waitron, handyman 1 1

Standards Development 1 1

Aircraft Mechanic 1 1

Assistant technician for lung function test, vision test and audiogram test

1 1

Architectural Building Plan drafting 1 1

Attachment of students is based on organizational need. We attach in all VET trades and different tertiary students.

1 1

Agriculture (extensive large stock) 1 1

We are already offering the following: Hospitality & Tourism; HR; Finance; Sales and Marketing and Maintenance

1 1


Joinery and carpentry 1 1

We offer in Business Administration 1 1

Leadership training 1 1

Auto Mechanics 1 1

Logistics and operations 1 1

Logistics, financial accounting 1 1

In all fields of our operation as it is our social responsibility. 1 1

IT/Telecommunication 1 1

The professions vary substantially and from the result there is not a clear indication that a certain

profession is in high demand.

Table 30: Perception on required entry level for vocational training

Employers (large

enterprises) SMEs Total

Any as long as a person is willing, able to read and write English.

2% 19% 8%

Less than grade 10 8% 33% 17%

Grade 10 31% 36% 33%

Grade 10 or Grade 12 - depending on the course being offered

2% 0% 1%

Grade 12 48% 8% 34%

Grade 12 and tertiary education at a reputable university 2% 0% 1%

Grade 10 for trades, Grade 12 for admin related; unfortunately even grade 12 with University admission more often than not fail in the workplace due to lack of basic skill or motivation

2% 0% 1%

Preferably A+ (M Plus preferred) 2% 0% 1%

This should depend on the course being offered. Grade 10 can be the minimum no prior learning acquired.

2% 0% 1%

Larger enterprises seem to require a higher entry level compared to their smaller counterparts. As

mentioned earlier, larger enterprises might have more requirements in technical know-how whereas

SMEs often operate enterprises which are hand crafts.


RATING OF TRAINING AND TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

12 Training Institutions have taken part in the survey and 11 out of the 12 are registered as a training

provider / facilitator with the NTA; apart from that 9 are accredited as a training provider / facilitator

with the NQA, 1 is awaiting its accreditation and 2 are currently not accredited.

In this section, graduates were given the opportunity to rate various aspect regarding the training

institutions; the support that they receive in terms of job attachments and internships.

Figure 7: Rating on various aspects of the training providers where respondents have been

trained

The chart shows means scores out of a maximum of 5.0 and from the scores received it appears

that graduates are generally satisfied with the institutions where they have been trained. However,

when graduates were asked to substantiate any negative ratings with comments, it reveals that there

some areas which needs to be improved and focussed on.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

The trainingthat I receivedwas relevant tothe job I want

to do

The fees formy current

training werefair and

acceptable (ifapplicable)

My trainerswere

competent,knew their

profession &communicated

well

Trainingmethods were

appropriateand relevant

The learningareas (e.g.

classrooms,workshops)

wereadequatelyequipped

4.5 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.1


Rating of training providers

Advice of future career choices

Support in finding a job


Table 31: Reasons for any negative rating as provided by the respondents are listed below:

No. of respondents

Lack of materials (machinery and tools). 8

The fees are too high / not affordable. 5

The classroom / workshop are very small and overcrowded. 4

We used to be taught under trees and lacked some tools and machineries. 1

The registration fee was fine, but when we get a loan there was no refund. 1

The fee for level 3 was almost the same as level 5. 1

In level 1, I was not equipped, only as from level 2. 1

There was too much theory. 1

It is very expensive and classes are only one and a half months at the cost of N$17,000.00

1

The equipment is not enough. 1

It was too much theoretical while the industry required practical. The workshop was not adequately equipped as we shared materials and tools.

1

Fees paid are too high compared to the training we received. Some trainers do not have the knowledge of the industry we are being trained for.

1

During practice sometimes we had to share resources and we were many groups that used the same resources.

1

The workshop should be updated and extended as it is small. Provide updated / up to standard machines.

1

Level 3 - there was no machinery and we had to go to Rundu. 1

They only teach the basics. 1

WVTC does not consider OD students seriously; trainers attend classes as they feel like. They are so lazy and full of favours.

1

I did petrol mechanic and the market requires diesel mechanic. Instructors lacked materials and they only taught with what was available. There is lack of equipment at the school and they are old fashioned.

1

Communication it is a struggle with trainers as they are not fluent in English. 1

The companies require trade tests at level 4.We had to buy our own tools out of our pockets to use in class.

1

It appears that training institution often lack equipment and tools, which will have a negative effect

on the quality of the training and ultimately on the employability of graduates. It was also mentioned

that the value for money, whereby the costs compared to the quality of training received is not always

aligned. This urges that some kind of quality assessments and monitoring systems need to be

developed.


Figure 8: Have the training provider/institutions provided graduates with advice on future

careers?

It is good to see that the majority of graduates have received advice on future careers. With young

people having the choice of so many different professions being available, it is considered important

that they receive some form of guidance and advice.

Furthermore, the survey tested whether graduates have ever applied for an apprenticeship, and

75% agreed that they have while only 25% indicated that they have not.

Those who have applied for an apprenticeship specified that they have applied at the following

institutions:

Table 32: Institutions where graduates have applied for an apprenticeship

No. of respondents

Private company 40

State owned enterprise or Government 28

Private company and State owned enterprise or Government 4

SME or informal enterprise 2

Not answered 1

It seems that private companies are preferred for apprenticeships above state owned enterprises

or Government departments, as 40 out of the 75 graduates who indicated that they have applied

for an apprenticeship, did so at a private company.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Private/otherTraining Institution

VTC Total

50%

75% 72%

17%

9% 10%33%

16% 18%

No, not at all

Somewhat

Yes


Table 33: The main reasons for not having applied for an apprenticeship

No. of respondents

My applications were not approved. 4

Lack of information and understanding. 3

I just never get the opportunity to apply. 1

You won’t get a salary. 1

We were told that it was the school's responsibility to find apprenticeship for student. 1

Due to my trade there is a lack of opportunities to find job attachment, so I have not done any attachments at all.

1

I was already working and had experience. 1

My field does not require it and I started work in that field. 1

I was not ready for that. 1

We were told that the school is responsible to do all that for the students. 1

I'm working even though it is different work than counselling and I do counselling as my part-time job.

1

I did not get time to apply for apprenticeship. 1

At that time I was already employed and could only practice within the organisation. 1

On the positive side, 90% of the graduates interviewed indicated that they have attended job

attachment or any form of work integrated learning (internships/ apprenticeships etc) and have 44%

indicated that they have received sufficient support from their current training institution (VTC or

private) to help find a job attachment as shown below.

Figure 9: Sufficiency of support from current training institution to help find a job attachment

From the chart it appears that graduates only receive limited support to help them find a job

attachment. In an ideal situation, support should be given to each graduate. It would be desirable if

all graduates get a job attachment, as it would assist them to be introduced into an employ. Having

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Private/otherTraining Institution

VTC Total

33%46% 44%

33%15% 17%

33% 39% 38%

No, not at all

Somewhat

Yes


a period of being unemployed directly after the studies/training will contribute to a lack of motivation

to look for a job, increasing the chances of not working in the trained profession.

The table below shows the support that graduates received during their internship/attachment.

Table 34: Kind of support received during internship/attachment

None 39

Financial support 28

Experience, knowledge and skills 9

Student loans 5

Allowances 5

Non-financial support 3

Transport allowances 2

Motivational support 1

They guide us on how to come up with our own businesses after graduation

1

Money and uniform 1

Knowledge on how to organize conferences and meetings 1

Government loan 1

Tools 1

Provided me with lunch 1

Furthermore, the survey probed which challenges graduates encountered during their internship/

attachment. The replies listed below are verbatim and shown that most challenges relate to financial

difficulties which included paying for accommodation and transport and other competency based

challenges which include that graduates do not feel equipped or competent to do the work, and/or

the work is too challenging.


• Bad treatment.

• Lack of proper mentorship

• I dealt with school kids and sometimes I found kids issues that were out of my power to help

them.

• I found it difficult getting taxi money to go to work. Team work was not good in the ministry;

they did not consider me as their colleagues.

• It is difficult to get proper counselling rooms / no incentives. We did not get recommendation

letters.

• It was not easy to put theory into practice and keep a client for an hour.

VTC

• The machinery and processes we learned in school are not the same as in the industry.

• Transport

• Accommodation and transport.

• Financial difficulties.


• Tasks were very difficult for me and the workers mistreated me and called me names.

• There was no work management.

• Lack of materials and we were doing too much for N$1500.

• Financial challenges and worked alone without support from an experienced person.

Accommodation was of very poor standard.

• I ended up doing work that was not in my profession or level.

• Dealing with new different people.

• I needed to work very hard in order for my internship to be positively recommended.

• It was very challenging as I only knew theory.

• In level 1 I was not competent enough and when I went for an attachment, it was a big

challenge as most of the tools used there I have never come across.

• I was overworked and work was too difficult.

• It is challenging to use new tools and equipment that I never used at school.

• The work was a bit tough but I learned a lot.

• It is so difficult to work under pressure and over-time.

• There was a lack of materials which made my work harder. The staff was selfish as they didn't

want us to do the work, we came to practice on.

• It was tough as some of the tasks, I was not yet familiar with. Most of the jobs were level 4

but I was required to do it.

• They do not pay much because you do not have experience even if you are at work every

day.

• Lack of communication with the owner.

• Transport to go to work as the company was far from where I stayed. It was difficult for me to

use the kind of machines in that company as we do not use such machines at school.

• Most of the things we were taught at school are completely different from what I experienced

at my attachment, which made me look less competent and unqualified.

• Working alone, I was under pressure and kept very late.

• Accommodation: as I was renting during my internship and I needed financial support to

sustain my daily needs.

• The industry was very tough compared to class activities. I was hit by a machine that left one

of my left ribs damaged.

• I worked under pressure; I re-arranged materials at the end of work each and every day and

had to submit a report every day.

• Communication was a problem as I could not speak Afrikaans. Their design is different from

what we are told in school.

• My assistant was absent most of the time and I had to do all the work by myself and some of

the work I was not familiar with.

• Financial challenges - some days I found myself with no transport money to pay for a taxi.

The senior had no teamwork and refused to help and guide us.

• The machines we use at school is different from what we use during internship and it was

time consuming as it's like learning from scratch.

• Insults, tough working condition, long working hours, no safety equipment and little support.

• The practical at school is completely different from what we do at attachments.

• I used to work long hours and did work which was not of my profession.

• The seniors that I worked with were lacking a lot of knowledge and I ended up teaching them

the skills I knew.


• The whole practical work was tough; it needed hard work.

Opinions on competency based education and training (CBET) and alignment of the unit

standards and qualifications between the various institutions who offer vocational training

has provided as shown below:

• CBET is okay but it must be implemented in full to be successful.

• CBET model is very complicated and does not have proper content in some trades as

expected by the industry. It also has an entry in L2 if one has a grade 12. if one moves to L2

as an entry point especially in Office Admin, that trainee will lack a lot of content that is needed

for a beginner with no computer knowledge or even typing experience as they mostly start

from scratch. They should therefore at least make provision for such an entry that L1 should

only have generic subjects only that the L2 are accredited on so they don’t miss out on

important content. L1 is in fact supposed to have generic content like communication,

numeracy and alike only so that other contents included in L1 can be shifted to L2 contents in

order to accommodates those entering straight to L2

• CBET unit standards are too low.

• I like the CBET system. It will be fine if fully implemented and funded. In Namibia it is still a

hybrid system.

• I think the NTA training needs to step up their level 1 and 2 in hospitality.

• In my opinion, there is no alignment of unit standards and qualifications offered by institutions

at different levels. (e.g. Unit standards for construction trade i.e. Bricklaying Level 4 at VET

should link with Civil engineering unit standards offered by Universities, to allow proper

movement from one level to another) These would minimize current bridging programs at

higher institutions as VET trainees can continue with ease into high level trainings. There

seems to be a gap between VET NQF Level 3 qualifications and University NQF level 6

qualifications, there seems to be no or limited institutions offering NQF Level 4 & 5

Qualifications to feed NQF level 6 (degree levels) at Universities.

• Level 1 unit standards need to be intensified more deep than the current content. You can get

a level 1 bricklaying certificate but you cannot even lay bricks.

• Not everybody uses CBET and this makes it complicated when assessments are conducted.

• Unit standards are phased out all over the world. Follow the NIMT's CBET approach.


PERCEPTION ON COST SHARING FOR TRAINING

Earlier in the report, it was discussed that in general enterprises are interested and able to provide

training to their employees but in this section more information is being provided on cost allocated

towards training and to obtain suggestion on cost sharing mechanisms.

Table 35: What percentage of your annual employment cost is allocated to training?

% of respondents

0% 5%

0.004% 2%

0.5% to 1% 14%

2% to 5% 26%

More than 10% 21%

Adhoc basis 7%

Depending on external training offered 2%

Limited to the VET levy 2%

On the job training mainly. Some outside training for chefs and F&B Management.

2%

Don't know 17%

From the table it can be seen that 2% to 5% of the annual employment cost is allocated to training

most mentioned most often (26% of the enterprises). This is followed by 21% of the enterprises who

agreed that they spend more than 10% of their annual employment costs towards training.

30% of the enterprises seemingly do not have a fixed percentage, as they indicated that it is adhoc,

depends on needs or did not know.

Table 36: Do enterprises financially support trainees who are being trained at a VTC or similar

institution?

% of respondents

Yes 47%

No 48%

Not answered 5%


Annual employment cost allocated to training

Enterprises financially support trainees

Perceptions on cost sharing


Just less than half of the larger enterprises interviewed indicated that they are supporting trainees

financially.

Table 37: How many employees are they financially supporting?

No. of respondents

0/ Currently none 3

1 1

2 3

3 1

5 5

11 1

15 1

30 1

Varies 1

1 annually 1

1-2 annually 2

14 annually 1

3-5 per year, CATS program 1

FY 2017 - two, however nothing for FY2018 1

Support through training levy 1

The number of employees who are currently being financially supported by enterprises vary and

depends on the total number of employees and available funds to do so.

Training providers were asked on whether they have any suggestions on costs sharing

between employers/ training providers and trainees to offer apprenticeship programmes?

• Trainees are poor. Use the levy money better.

• The levy money can be used to compensate employers who are involved in training.

• Employers 50% and trainees 50%

• Employers could provide allowances to cater for the students’ accommodation, meals and

transport where possible.

• This is the work of the "training levy" and it is not operational to private providers thus

employers need to fund all at present.

• Employers to be incentivized through the National Training Fund.

• N$ 33000 per year is needed to train an employee.

• I hope they can claim it back from the NTA and that they actually accept the claims.

• Sharing can actually be a good idea but I believe it will be a little tough for the training

providers to pay their part as expected due to lack of funds at times.

• Employers should bear the cost because they are benefitting from training, but they can be

incentivized through the levy; it is their money after all. Training providers must calculate their

costs to be lower to reflect the 20% tuition time.


The CATS programme as alluded earlier already, works on the following financial

commitment by the member companies:


CHALLENGES IN HAVING A WELL-

DEVELOPED APPRENTICESHIP

PROGRAMME IN NAMIBIA

The survey tested the perception of the training providers and the larger enterprises on the role that

NEF can play in improving curricula in Namibia. The replies as provided by the respondents are

shown below:

Training Providers

• NEF can perhaps try to bring the two together, meaning the VET providers and the

industries (Skills industry sector) in order to come up with specifications that are purely

needed by the industries because training providers should train based on industry

demand else we will be training for the streets or products that the industries cannot

absorb.

• Be a role player in vocational training and education.

• By being trend based.

• By taking part in the curriculum development of VET; Taking part in training through

availing spaces for job attachment.

• Employers should be encouraged to employ apprentices more regularly and should be

funded for this.

• I think they are trying to get a legal document drawn up for apprenticeship. This will help

• Involve VET trainers, trainees and industry to have a say on the current unit standards.

Carry an independent tracer study of graduates to determine their way about after

education.

• Liaise with the NIMT.

• Lobby government to be more supportive of VET and where needed to change laws.

• NEF should be actively involved in curricula development. There is a tendency by Industry

to send the very graduates from vocational training centres to participate in curricula

development. NEF should ensure that experts form part of curricula development.

• Sensitize employers in taking an active role in development of the curricula.

• Promote the benefits of investing in a younger work force.


• Active involvement at tertiary level and determining the needs in the market. Train for the

economy, not for activity.

• Advocacy, policy development and stakeholder mobilization on essential matters.

This section focuses on the following:

NEF can play in improving curricula in Namibia

Challenges identified by CATS

Comments or suggestions for the successful implementation of an apprenticeship

program


• By compiling requests from members / employers.

• Consultative role between institutions and businesses.

• Convince Government that they need to privatize vocational training and a Student Fund

can subsidize the less affluent students

• Coordinating and get inputs from its members

• Create a vocational/dual training support desk

• Curricula development and training coordination and facilitation

• Employers / Industry need to communicate the poor performance of public educational

services and demand to implement a dual educational system in many different industries.

• Encourage big corporate companies to introduce apprenticeship system, small companies

might not be able to administer this

• Encouraging companies to provide inputs in respect of which fields of expertise require

attention and encouraging companies to support in-service training and technical training

in general.

• Expanding their training course curriculum

• Facilitate development of relevant curricula for various member industries, i.e. get industry

together to jointly define what i required. In a separate or supportive process to the Skills

committees.

• Find out the careers that lack skilled workers and start training them in those areas.

• Get industry input. Look at other countries i.e. don't reinvent the wheel

• Governing body to make job attachment compulsory in every institutions

• If the industry skills committees work effectively, employers and therefore NEF could play

a strong role.

• Industry engagement to gather their needs and involve government and other institutions,

e.g. NTA, NQA to realign their policies to relevant needs.

• Keep a representative on the board to ensure professional performance of NTA.

Encourage industry to send experienced persons to serve on industry skills committees.

• Liaise with NTA for possible student allowances to ensure all students get equal

opportunities for attachment after all the companies are paying skills levy and these funds

can be utilized.

• Make suggestions and recommendations on skills shortages in different industries to

educational institutions.

• NEF needs to upgrade centres to keep up with new technology. Trainers need to undergo

training themselves and the current trainers need to be evaluated to see the level of

knowledge they have.

• NEF to consult with Agricultural Employers Association (AEA) / NAU.

• Not sure - does anybody out there listen?

• NTA Industrial skills committees are fairly active. We find that at times, the manuals of

NTA are used by teachers in class to read through. Not sure if this is effective. The lack

of quality primary and secondary education is a major concern and NIED, Ministry of

Education; Ministry of Higher education needs to be onboard to improve the standards of

teaching. The practical training is not effective as evident in the skills set of students we

take in. This might be because many teachers have not actively worked in the industry

and cannot share from experience. We see great potential in the mix of students with a

good secondary background and students who have studied at tertiary institutions and

are well-versed in tourism, languages etc. Computer studies are becoming important

fast. Excel sheets, word, and e-mail etiquette.


It is difficult to follow the curriculum because the official training manuals are all in lose,

single unit standard form without numbers on the Manual or indication of actuality.

I am not sure if the curriculum content is the problem or the packaging / Chunks of

learning.

• Other factors:

Lack of teaching skills and many students, few teachers - If NEF can communicate with

the relevant ministries that we require Vocational Training / Adult Teaching as a subject

choice it would help already.

Hospitality training is seen as a solution to provide for low school grades. Learners need

to be taught communication skills.

Some personalities are not flourishing in this industry because it is a 24/7 business that

involves attending to individuals.

Finding the right students to train is the trick and it might be great to look at the industry

for guidance in this aspect. Students should be interviewed for talent and interest in the

field before enrolling in a subject they might not be suited for.

The impact of tourism for Namibia is too little known amongst Namibians and

employment opportunities seem not to be present in students’ impressions.

• Participation in the NQA and NTA and assessors training

• Passing requirements must be stricter. They should not be put through without reaching

standards required. Public schools produce poor candidates.

• Provide funds and employment.

• Provide industry research outcomes in various fields that enhance VET.

• Provide proper standards for trainers to develop skills.

• Provide relevant information on labour market requirements to the various training

institutes and stakeholders. Reflect private sector concerns and facilitate policy

implementations. Test relevance / effectiveness of VET training on the labour market.

• Push for acceptance of in house training at NTA and NQA and get those institutions to

actively support this with manuals and guidance.

• Registered and approved training modules to be used with internal training activities such

as health and safety training, supervisory skills approval with NTA and to reclaim training

levies.

• Set Standards that are the norm internationally

• Should be established by the private sector with minimum interference by government.

• Tap into specific industries to identify the gap and incorporate these into curriculums.

Revise / audit curriculums offered by VTCs bi annually and ensure there is sufficient

learning materials available to trainees and properly equipped/trained trainers.

• Thorough quality assurance - be the link between the institutions and the employers.

• To encourage all stakeholders to take part in RPL training.

• To help ensure that we get our money back from the NTA for training being done.

• You can review the course content

• Ensuring that local courses offered are accredited and recognized. Getting qualified

trainers/lecturers.

• Checking and supervising; Following up with training providers about the employability of

the students - how many really did find a job after finishing the studies.

• Creating awareness of training and sharing information. Knowledge is power.


CATS has also identified the major challenges that they experience in having a developed

apprenticeship programme.

Herewith some of the obstacles that CATS as a "service provider" faces with getting companies to

partake in apprenticeships and other general problems.

Getting Membership:

• Convincing new companies to get on board with the programme often offers challenges. Various

reasons are that companies ask for more diversity in terms of the course offered specifically at

CATS. They do not understand the concept well, even after extensive consultations and

meetings are had with the respective companies.

• Companies are not prepared to establish in-house mentors and believe that the training would

take away time from their operations should they designate supervisors. This is a very important

point to note as CATS has found that the role of both a mentor and a supervisor play one of the

most crucial roles for the success of an apprenticeship student. The right sort of energy focused

on a candidate from a mentor and supervisor ensure that the student is enriched with the right

sort of support and ultimately is seen in their success.

• Some companies view apprenticeships simply as "cheap labour" and so do not invest in the

student by providing the right environment and time required for them to succeed.

• Finances are always an issue of concern. The common reasoning is that NTA does not repay

the refund fast enough which then interferes with the companies’ cash flow, should they invest

in an apprenticeship student. Furthermore; some companies have applications pending for

extensive amounts of time with the NTA due to the inaccurate completion of rebate documents.

This results in applications being sent back to companies for amendment or to furnish more

detail resulting in delays. This shows that perhaps some companies do not fully understand what

is required by the NTA in order to correctly and promptly apply for the refunds.

• Inadequate resources to establish the programme within company. Some companies will simply

say they are too small and their HR departments have no capacity to administer the programme.

General Obstacles:

• Obtaining relevant accreditation from the NQA for the practical component of the programme

(ongoing matter since 2014, possibly earlier).

• Inadequate number of member companies to allow the programme to grow. We are sitting on

23 companies through which 17 students have been sponsored for the 2017 intake. The ideal

number would be 35 companies with a minimum of 2 students per company allowing for 70

students per year. This incentive would really be ideal for the CATS programme in that it should

award companies more vantage to invest in apprenticeship and ultimately themselves.


Qualitative Comments

The questionnaires made provision for qualitative comments where respondents could provide any

additional points or other comments to make about any matter arising from this questionnaire.

It is important to mention that comments and suggestions included in the report are as were provided

by the respondents (mostly verbatim). The comments and suggestions reported are the view points

and perceptions of respondents and do not represent the opinions or viewpoints of the consultants.

The qualitative comments do not necessarily serve any analytical value, but might assist in creating

a better understanding on why respondents have a specific opinion or viewpoint.

Graduates

• After job attachment/internship those specific companies that trained you, must see to it that

we get employed or they should offer us the opportunities within their organisations.

• Apprenticeship is a good initiative but still graduates end up being unemployed. Come up with

a new system to trace all graduates and find out if they are employed or not. If a student goes

for internship at a certain company, I think it is good if that particular company employs that

student after graduation.

• Apprenticeship programs should provide recommendation letters to students, they should

look or consider the students after graduating and such programs should stop asking students

for a license as a requirement.

• At VTCs everything should be updated and provide enough tools and equipment.

• Companies refuse taking us for attachments saying they only want people for permanent jobs;

that is why I chose to be self-employed. The workshop of the centre is different than in the

trade. There should be more effort put on safety and ask more questions to the trainees as

not all facilities are available at the centre compared to the industry and be more innovative.

• Companies should allow trainees of level 3 to do more practical since they are going back to

school to finish and they will need more practical experience.

• Create more employment for the youth.

• Create more training centres and advise the youth to apply.

• Employers are looking for someone with experience.

• Employers do not allow us to do attachments after graduating but also not when we are still

students.

• Employers must give the VTC students more chances for apprentice programs, so that they

become more competent after graduation.

• Employers under estimate graduates from VTCs, they prefer graduates from UNAM, NUST

and IUM. Give opportunities to VTC graduates so that they prove themselves in the different

job professions.

• Every trainee must have the opportunity to go for job attachment so that they can upgrade

their skills and see how they are progressing.

• Graduates end up doing anything that is available as it is very difficult to get a job in Namibia.

• Grateful for this survey - hopefully it will bring a good outcome for the graduates.

• Help students get job attachments at good/quality companies/organizations so that they can

gain experience.


• If they can look at systematic processes and open paths for graduates to see where they are

because institutions only care when we are students and once we graduate we sit at home

unemployed and no one follows up.

• Implementing quality apprenticeship programs is good but the length should be appropriate.

• In Namibia there are a lot of apprenticeship programs based on the same thing and there are

none like caretaking and community work or mid-wifeing short courses. One is required to

have good grades in order to qualify for that kind of course.

• Increase the opportunities of providing students with quality training in all parts of that

particular profession.

• Introduce English courses, computer basic and business administration courses at VTCs.

• It depends on the owner of the program if they want to provide quality training to the student

which will make them competent and it easy for them to find a job after graduation.

• It is a good initiative but after completing the apprentice program one still end up jobless.

• It is a good thing to come up with apprentice program but what is to be done to the students

after graduating? They still remain unemployed even though they have attended

apprenticeship programs.

• It is a very good idea and it will minimize unemployment.

• It is useful but we still end up on the streets after apprenticeship program.

• It is very good for students as it gives them skills and knowledge to make it easy to find a job.

• Provide allowance on job attachments.

• Provide more job opportunities for graduates.

• Push the students more on industrial work and give them quality recommendations which will

help them to find a job.

• Students suffer after graduating. The government should introduce some strategies to trace

all graduates and see if they are employed or not.

• Talk to private companies to help us get jobs.

• The apprentices are many; government should provide more VTCs country wide.

• The companies and government should provide job attachments for students so that they

gain practical training which is different from school training and will help graduates find a job

easily.

• The companies that are training students should provide enough quality training and the

seniors should be well experienced in order to instruct the students.

• The companies that take students for attachments must take responsibility to employ the

graduate after studies, as they are already familiar with their capabilities.

• The government must provide transport money to people who are doing internship.

• The government should provide trainees apprenticeship so that they can upgrade their skills.

• The institution should go from one company to another to find apprenticeship for students.

Students should not have to search for themselves.

• The youth must participate in VTCs more.

• There is a lack of training equipment at VTCs and it is time consuming as you have to share

in groups of 10, etc.

• They must pay trainees well even if the person is only starting, because we have families to

support.

• Upgrade the equipment so that it won't be a challenge for us when going for internship.

• VTCs need to have enough trainers and classrooms so that all students are accommodated

fairly.


• We have a lot of people equipped and well trained but there is lack of job opportunities in

Namibia. This causes the graduate to forsake their skill and go for other job markets. We

need a non-profit rehabilitation centre in Namibia or an affordable one that can accommodate

the poor.

• We need more vocational schools to increase the economy of the country.

• With counseling we do not get funded like other students and this career is not taken as

serious as other courses in other institutions. They must take responsibility to ensure all

graduates find jobs as well as avoiding corruption in the organisation. Institutions only care

when students are owing school fees; but after they have paid, they don't care if you get a job

or not.

SMEs

• All the companies which are providing apprentice training should give a certificate and funds

to the trainee.

• As individuals you need to motivate yourselves.

• Consultation with all relevant stakeholders, no one must be left out in the development of

curriculum.

• Create more opportunities for small SMEs e.g. funding and materials, etc.

• Entrepreneurship chain e.g. land, training and funding.

• Funding and skills. Creating more opportunities.

• I think that participants just need to be motivated so that they can see the use and practical

reasons behind apprentice programs.

• It is good for employees to be trained while they are still working, to boost their knowledge

and skills.

• It should provide training equipment for us to train our employees.

• It would be good to assess the most successful apprenticeship program in the world and

implement it in Namibia, e.g. Germany.

• Let it be pegged to a certain milestone and for it to be driven by the apprentice.

• More women to be equipped to produce marula jam.

• Most people are given the training but lack funds to start operating their own business.

• Organisations that are capable should provide internships to students so that they gain

knowledge and skills.

• Sometimes people just don't have the drive and commitment in them.

• The government must create a manufacturing company to promote jersey making as a

Namibian product so we stop getting from South Africa.

• The Ministry of Trade - if they sponsor people to go trade they must also make time to go and

see what the people are doing.

• Training programs related to business should be provided to all kinds of businesses,

registered or not.

• We need more vocational training schools.

• When providing such programs also consider the informal market.

• When you get the student they do not come back for attachment. The government must help

there so we also benefit from those we gave attachment.

Training Providers

• Apprentice program should be really respected by the training providers and as well as

employers because these two entities can’t work separate from each other. When we train,

industries should be able to take our trainees for apprenticeship for a certain period of time.


This type of activities also opens doors of employment for trainees especially those that are

committed and skillful for an industry to compromise on. These types of arrangements in a

way create employments for trainees indirectly.

• Authority bodies must standardize the apprentice programme, develop policies and enforce

compliances in this area.

• Cooperation between training institutions, industry and government.

• Do more campaigns with companies and compensate them for the job they are doing as a

motivating factor.

• Get on with it. Our laws take too long to be passed. A bit more advertising and education

about the benefits of apprenticeship.

• Hard work, qualified trainers and supervisors are vital to make a success.

• I have been using the apprentice system for the past 15 years and this is the only system that

works in the technologically advanced automotive industry. The system with VTCs does not

work as trainees are not fully exposed to the modern vehicles and its technology. This can

only be achieved in a real workshop and industry environment. The "dual system" where

apprentices work in real life and receive theory in an institution is the only answer to sustain

a positive labour market for the automotive industry.

• Many questionnaires have been filled out over the years - to no avail. NIMT is willing to assist.

• Employers don’t have enough freedom, not enough quals that match skills in work place;

training providers do not have time tables for work integrated learning (WIL), quality assurers

try to make employers into training providers. It is believed that assessment in CBET is not

suited to apprenticeships.

• Technical training and development are either learnerships or short courses.

• The success of the apprenticeship program depends on the cooperation and commitment

from the industry. I suggest that an incentive scheme for employers be introduced. This might

arise interest amongst employers to participate in the program. Another suggestion is for the

companies to appoint people to work directly with the apprentice.

• You need to have meetings with management in all your initiatives relating to VET

improvement programs.


• A general comment is for industry and the VTCs to work together in order to ensure that there

isn't an over-supply of skills in certain trades and to also ensure that training and training

outcomes align to industry requirements and standards expected.

• All stakeholders must be on the same page on the expectations and work towards a common

goal.

• Already too many apprentices being trained from existing institutions, who do not get placed

for apprenticeships - deal with these first, before trying to create a program to train even more.

Also support those VTC's whom business does not have confidence in with regards to training

being delivered to students.

• Assessors play a vital role.

• Before an institution takes on learners the industry partner must already be selected who

offers the apprenticeship program.

• Bring back and add more technical schools.

• CATS has already proven to be successful in the Logistics sector and should be an example

for future programmes

• Dual systems have proven to be successful in industrialized nations. We need to go this route

on a broad scale.


• Everybody should be working together

• Following subjects should be part of the curriculum: Basic mathematics: the four fundamental

operations (+-/x) plus %; Moral and ethical principals; Ability to work systematically.

• Greater synergy is required between industry and supplier entities, more research to inform

policy-makers, use of industry resources (subject matter experts) in curriculum development

or even during training (skills / knowledge transfer).

• Health and safety: Acts and policy; procedure (technical); regarding Health and Safety

• In view of the decreasing school education standards, companies will have to acknowledge

the shortcomings in training in the technical fields and will have to support such training to a

larger extent.

• Internship to only start as from level 3.

• Keep red tape out of it. Develop templates for work books and skills transfer requirements for

interns. Improve communication on this matter between training institutions and businesses,

specifically for times when interns are placed in businesses.

• Let the private sector do this!! Government must do away with their restrictions on work

permits and allow the right expertise into the country!! This must happen fast for the sake of

the country

• More career trainings to choose from. Too many are produced in one sector. Candidates must

learn to put effort in and not just expect to get a qualification and work.

• More companies needs to come on board for the apprentices to gain practical training in all

fields of studies.

• More time and money needs to be spent at pre-primary and primary school levels to lay the

foundation for daily life skills and attitudes. It happens that apprentices leave the company

before they complete their contract period and the money spent cannot be recovered.

Therefore the first comment is very important.

• Please do not lower standards. Improve on it.

• Please feel free to contact us for any information you might still require. We can also supply

you with a list of institutions that we work well with when looking for internship placements.

• Raise the pass rate to improve standards. In some trades lives are at risk if jobs are not done

with utmost care. Lack of knowledge can cause accidents in the motor trade.

• Salary of the apprentice to be looked at. Main reason why people don't consider this because

of low salary and consider apprentices as low class jobs

• Should start as soon as possible. Should be privately run - graduates must understand

industry.

• Start with proper school education

• Strong support and incentives from government, some guarantees that the trained people

have to stay for a while so that investment in the person pays back, not too high salaries for

beginning of training period and define it as school so that trainees do not have too high

expectations for remuneration

• The apprentice system/curricula has to be monitored and accepted by the private sector to

ensure that qualified incumbents are willingly accepted by the industry.

• The entitlement attitude of our youth needs to be changed somehow.

• The person doing the training must be qualified to do so which means that all persons

providing training must also undergo an appraisal in order to provide training. If a trainer has

bad habits then a trainee will quickly pick them up as well and will be under the impression

that it how things should be done. Hence not people that have a qualification and or enough

experience are suitable trainers.


• The purpose of the program should be clear. Program should be outlined. Both students and

employers should benefit. Proper monitoring and evaluation to be done.

• Training institutions must focus more on practical application of theory.

• We are greatly in favor of such a programme.

• We can only take one or two apprentices because of the time taken from trained staff to work

with them. Attitude and enthusiasm is far more important than qualifications as the necessary

skills can be taught to trainees who are competent and keen.

• Where apprenticeship programmes are part of a learning institution's curriculum for

qualification, it would be required that institutions provide industry with competencies required

for sign off. With most apprenticeships, candidates come to the workplace and it is up to

industry to provide experience without any guidelines from institutions as to the competencies

they wish to develop.

• Work closely with businesses and government to be able to add value to the strategic

objectives of the economy and country.

• Would promote it, in the same way as the current CATS program - only way to address major

lack of skill and unemployment in Namibia.

• Yes, call me and let me sit on the forum that set it up, basically a few year ago with the NTA

it was already done.


6. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

Why apprenticeship

The Namibian Government is strongly committed to foster economic growth and development in

order to overcome poverty and unemployment. Vision 2030 describes “A prosperous and

industrialized Namibia developed by her human resources, enjoying peace, harmony and political

stability”. Vision 2030 puts further emphasis “…on the welfare of the people, aiming at human

development, equitable and balanced growth, resulting in a growing industrial sector, a modernized

agriculture sector, and an enabling micro-economic and political environment”17

Based on the data of this survey and a literature review the results of the overall assessment on the

challenges and opportunities in developing an apprenticeship programme indicate the following as

the key priority areas for attention:

Continue to work on the pilot plan developed by NTA and NEF

NTA, PROVET and NEF have been spearheading the developing of apprenticeship programmes

and have developed a pilot plan. This plan needs to be put into practise and tested. It is however

17 http://www.mti.gov.na/downloads/MSME%20Policy%20Zero%20Draft.pdf

In countries with high proportions of young apprentices relative to the employed population – such

as Switzerland, Austria and Germany– youth unemployment is much lower. Work-readiness

programmes include training for apprentices, learners, trainees, interns, and artisans.

They are key to creating jobs for youth and skills for business, because it:

ensures that training matches the needs within a company or industry

keeps up-to-date with changes in technology, work practices, and market dynamics

links classroom and workplace training so that young people acquire relevant skills

equips young people with critical core skills, such as problem solving, teamwork, and

communication

offers young people a small income while preparing for the job market

helps them clear the hurdle of having no job experience, a barrier that prevents many

university graduates from securing their first job


vital, that they get the “buy-in’ from key stakeholders (Private sector, Government and TVET

providers).

Some progress has been made and there are successful programmes such as CATS already in

place. These however need to be expanded beyond the traditional blue collar professions to

occupations such as agricultural technologies, tourism, logistics, computer aided manufacturing and

software development.

Formalise apprenticeship programmes

Based on the above and the steps taken by NTA to encourage closer links with business and skills

training and some initiatives by various stakeholders have already introduced. However, in Namibia

there is no clear and nationally structured apprenticeship programme. Amongst some other factors,

the quality of TVET learning must be strongly related to labour market outcomes. In German

apprenticeship the precise skills and theory taught are strictly regulated. The employer is responsible

for the entire education programme coordinated by the German chamber of commerce.

Funding systems should be reviewed and should be open for private training providers as well with

equal opportunities. A funding system that takes placement rates into account could contribute to

quality, respond to labour market needs and skills demand of the industry It would support training

centres that provide a proof of high quality training and it would force the training centres (incl. the

government centres) to have their liaison offices strong relationships with the industry in their sector

and region and it would provide much better data to the NTA. Currently only the government VTCs

are monitored (number of learners and graduates). The private training providers, even though it is

more than 70 at the moment, are left out in most of the statistics and their contribution to a skilled

labour force is not taken into account. Students’ funds should be equally open for everyone, not only

for learners at government funded institutions.18

Find ways for SMEs and informal sector to be included in an apprenticeship

programme

‘SMEs can make major gains with the right organisation and incentives. For example, in Austria, two

thirds of apprentices are in SMEs; and in Germany, nearly 30% are in micro-companies.’ 19

The SME sector represents a huge untapped potential market for apprenticeships and it is believed

that small enterprises provide some form of employment and income to broadly one third of the

nation’s workforce. The survey result showed that SMEs agreed that the biggest barrier in offering

18 Comment from Mrs. D. Schneider, Senior Expert Quality Assurance, Promotion of Vocational Education and Training (ProVET) 19 http://www.cedefop.europa.eu


apprenticeship is lack of funding. In order to promote and develop an apprenticeship programme,

the SMEs and informal sector should not be neglected and their needs should be included. The

proposed apprenticeship scheme it is not limited to levy paying companies, but while the current

plan is to encourage only the big companies, smaller companies will be welcomed in the future if

they can comply with the mentor etc requirements. Even though they are not excluded, currently

they are not sufficiently recognized. Thoughts need to revolve how SMEs can obtain more support

and funding which can aid them to train young people.

Further, SMEs will need sufficient guidance on best practices involved in the process of Work-

Integrated Learning what is required to equip the trainees with what is expected in business.

Employer involvement

In order for a successful apprenticeship programme, it is vital that employers must be involved in

significant ways. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) reforms across the SADC

region are driven by a strong concern to ensure training is responsive to, and relevant for, labour

market and industry needs. Forging closer links to industry is advocated at both national and provider

institutional levels, and across a wide range of activities from policy development to implementation;

and from setting national standards based on occupational profiles to work placements as part of a

training programme.

The ultimate aim of vocational training is employment. TVET programmes therefore have to be

linked to the job market. In this way, the socio-economic relevance of TVET can be enhanced. TVET

should be promoted as a tool for economic empowerment. For this, the use of role models in TVET

and the involvement of successful entrepreneurs in motivation campaigns can be a vital contributor

to success.

Furthermore, it would be beneficial to implement a mechanism for employers to report back their

experience with graduates (good and bad) to the training institution, to the NTA and even to the ISC.

Learning from employers’ experience can contribute to identify improvement measures on the

training level.

Re-assess possibility of inclusion of training in vocational professions at school level

On numerous occasions, concerns were raised that the education system in Namibia does not equip

school leavers with basis educational standards. The level of mathematical knowledge and fluency

in English were issues raised most often. This needs to be addresses with urgency.


Furthermore, in many European countries, schools already start with some introduction of vocational

training. With this, students often have a better insight into the different vocational professions and

are better prepared. It is believed that it could have a positive effect on the drop- out rate.

The image of vocational training needs to strengthened and promoted. People should feel proud to

pursue a vocational training career. Mrs Schneider from Promotion of Vocational Education and

Training (ProVET) commented that “NTA has already started the “Live your passion” campaign, but

industry should be joining in to advocate and marketing for the vocational career path, make it an

attractive career to attract high potentials for the vocational sector as being the future either

mastercraftsmen or mastertrainers. This could be a measure to uplift the quality and the image of

the vocational training and revitalise.”

Provide standards at training institutions

The survey has shown that there seem to be some apparent shortcomings at some of the training

institutions. Lack of adequate equipment and tools together some lack of discipline from trainers

were amongst the most commonly mentioned concerns. It would be important to have some kind of

quality assessment. Unit standards have been talked about, but a barrier to this system is the

responsibility to controlling and doing the quality assurance. The possible alignment of courses and

training contents in order to ensure that graduates have the same knowledge base needs to be

constantly investigated.

NIMT has been one of the responding training providers in the survey and has offered its assistance

based on the extensive experience and their current system which involves a relatively successful

job attachment and apprenticeship programme.

Assure employability of trainees and address and align the skills mismatch

A concerning issue which was found in the survey, is that 50% of the graduates indicated that they

are unemployed. The current economic depressed situation in Namibia where many state projects

are on hold, might have an influence on the figure but some graduates already have graduates

some months or even 2 or three years ago. Assuring the employability of trainees begins with

effective guidance and counseling of potential trainees in the choice of training programmes in

relation to their aptitude and academic background. Employability presupposes the acquisition of

employable skills that are related to the demands of the labour market.

It is not just a challenge to improve skill levels among young people, but to match people with the

right skills to the right jobs. As alluded above it is advisable to offer career guidance and to form


stronger partnerships with institutions and helping to ensure that the curriculum is supporting the

development of essential skills. Furthermore, it is vital that opportunities for young people to gain

work experience are being created.

In order to address current and future challenges the quality and selection of subjects in basic

education remains a serious concern, especially when it comes to the so desperately needed skills

in Maths and proper English. It should be compulsory in all schools to learn at least one foreign

language. Currently mainly private schools in Namibia offer classes to learn at least one foreign

language. If government schools are not going to address this issue, inequality in chances on the

job market will remain.

Find ways to strengthen career guidance and support for job attachments

One of the most concerning finding in the survey is the fact that around 60% of the graduates

interviewed are not working in the profession which you have been trained in. As the most profound

reason they have mentioned that were not able to find work in that occupation. Even though, it is not

clear how much efforts they have put into finding a job, it is believed often young people choose a

profession without having been received any form of career guidance.

If job attachments or internships would be more available, there might be higher chance of getting

employment.

It is suggested to introduce some career guidance at schools and if possible to have some kind of

internships also at school level already.

A demand assessment

A demand assessment is needed to determine the number of employees needed per profession.

How many graduates have a change to be employed after graduating before the market is

saturated?

Namibia, big in size but small in population, faces the challenge of having the right skills where it is

needed (in terms of region and professions). For example, if 50 learners in agriculture are trained

every year in Luederitz, it would not contribute to the decrease of the unemployment rate. Therefore

the training provision of the training centres should be more regional oriented and connected to the

regional/local industry.

Tracing graduates and development of a data base


During the survey, it was found that often training institutions had difficulties in having the contact

details and whereabouts of their graduates. It is suggested to have a data base of graduates

whereby it would be possible to find out whether they are working in their profession or even to

recommend them to an employer if specific skills are needed.

Tracer studies which track the destination of graduates in the job market can provide useful feedback

for the revision of training programmes so as to enhance the employability of trainees.

Align and strengthen enterprise/entrepreneurial training and skills development

32% of the respondents were of the opinion that tertiary and vocational education in Namibia does

not meet the needs of the business community, and 53% agreed that it only meets some needs.

Together with this finding, 52% of enterprises have expressed concern about the competence level

of graduates who have been trained in Namibia are for the job market.

The quality of the courses offered at the VTCs constantly need to be updated and reviewed because

in the qualitative comments, some respondents critised these institutions and the discipline of the

trainers.

Training providers should train for the industry, meaning training should be demand-driven taking

and curricula development should be based on the needs of businesses. Here the NEF can play a

vital role in bringing the relevant role players together.

Concluding remarks Demography is a challenge to Namibia and will continue to be. Roughly 1.4 million people are

between 15 and 60 (2016) and a little less than 1 million is younger than 14. The vast majority is in

the age group that is seeking and needing employment and the younger ones from the age group

between 10 and 14 will be joining this group soon. This trend should be a serious concern to the

government and the industry in terms of employment, industry needs to be enabled to grow and to

be able to introduce innovation beyond the traditional artisan trades trained in training centres.20

The Harambee Prosperity Plan is the latest in a long line of documents that encourages work

integrated learning, and yet the challenge currently facing any sustainable system is how to get

businesses to invest in such training when their main priority is to make a profit from efficient

production?

20 Comment from Mrs. D. Schneider, Senior Expert Quality Assurance, Promotion of Vocational Education and Training (ProVET)


The core purpose of an apprenticeship is to increase employability and enhance a talent

pipeline/skills need, both for the organisation and for the individual and throughout an apprenticeship

the individual is doing a real job and consistently providing evidence that they are competent in each

area.

It is clear that various stakeholders have already engaged in a number of initiatives to advocate for

the development of an apprenticeship programme, but there are still numerous areas which need to

be addresses and focussed on.


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survey to assess challenges for employers in …€¦ · ilo/nef: apprenticeship assessment survey...

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