Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

What 

TVET in the context of aid[1] aims to increase technical and vocational skills and expertise adapted to the needs in the local labour market and help young people get decent jobs and a living wage. 

Why 

According to the ILO, the International Labour Organization, around 66.6 million young people aged 15-24 are unemployed and an additional 269 million are not in employment, education or training (NEET[2]). Women are twice as likely as men to fall into this category. Norad aims to strengthen vocational training to qualify more young people so that they can find work in sought-after sectors and thereby contribute to increased production and sustainable economic growth. On a global level, vocational training faces challenges due to a number of factors. One such factor is that the labour markets are experiencing rapid change, in part due to technological developments and climate changes. Most developing countries have large youth populations, which places further pressure on national labour markets, where there is often already a lack of jobs. National vocational training systems are often poorly developed and organised and there is a lack of consistency between the training that is offered and the needs of the labour market. 

How 

Norad’s support for TVET aims to: 

• Help more young people gain relevant technical and vocational skills to transition into gainful employment, especially women. 
• Promote the inclusion of women and people with disabilities in technical and vocational skills training. 
• Promote the role of the private sector and industry in ensuring quality and relevance in technical and vocational skills training, to be more demand-driven. 
• Promote technical and vocational skills training that accommodates the green transition, especially through skills required for “green jobs”. 
• Strengthen national TVET systems. 

Norad’s support to TVET is primarily aimed at marginalised groups, including young people, women and people with disabilities. Such marginalised groups may be context-specific and may vary depending on local conditions. 

Through its strategic partners, Norad supports programmes to strengthen TVET systems and skills programmes so that these become more inclusive, of high quality and relevant for accelerating transition into decent employment. Our main partners are the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the German aid organisation Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). 

Through the Global Skills Programme for Lifelong Learning, the ILO assists countries in strengthening their TVET systems. GIZ receives aid for “Employment Promotion for Women for the Green Transformation in Africa (WE4D)”. TVET programmes are adapted for the needs of business and industry in each country. Through the project “Boosting Digital Skills through Digital Transformation”, the ITU strengthens citizens’ digital skills to enable participation in and benefit from the digital economy and increase employment opportunities for young people. 

Norad also supports broader thematic agreements with civil society organisations and UNESCO, which include vocational training. Skills development with aim of participation in working life is also supported through other agreements that are administered by different sections in Norad. 

Where 

Norad’s TVET programme is aimed at countries that have been authorised to receive development aid (ODA countries). Our current agreements are multinational agreements, including regional priorities, particularly in Africa. 

Contact details 

For further information, please contact the Section for Education and Research (UTFORSK). 

[1] On a global level, reference is often made to “TVET – Technical and vocational education and training” and “skills development”. This encompasses more than what we associate with formal vocational training. 

[2] Not in employment, education or training.