Ten Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools in Kigali City have received training equipment, worth Rwf 17 million from GIZ, a German international development agency, to boost career guidance among TVET students.
Ten Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools in Kigali City have received training equipment, worth Rwf 17 million from GIZ, a German international development agency, to boost career guidance among TVET students.
The support was handed over, yesterday, by Eva Juenemann, GIZ’s representative, during an evaluation exercise by career coaches at IPRC Kigali in Kicukiro District. The equipment will help measure the outcomes of career guidance services in TVET institutions in Kigali.
Ecole Technique ETHG SOS, Saint Joseph Integrated Technical College, TSS Gatenga, AIPER Nyandungu, ADB Nyarutarama, GS Mount Kigali/APACE, IPRC Kigali TSS, IPRC Kigali VTC, Gacuriro VTC and Umushumba Mwiza VTC were the beneficiaries.
Gerard Karamutsa, the career guidance officer at Workforce Development Authority (WDA), said TVET students need more guidance than classical teaching techniques to develop their careers.
"During a recent workshop, technical teachers discussed outcomes of the career coaching course in schools.
They observed improved team spirit in class, increased self-confidence of students and a new sense of endurance and determination. This is a promising beginning of the development of career guidance services for TVET,” Karamutsa said.
He added that career guidance services would eventually be integrated into standard extra–curricular services in the Rwandan TVET system.
Michaela Henn, an international trainer, said career guidance was not a luxury, but a necessity.
"The world of work and the world of education are two distinct systems. The transition from school to work requires more than technical knowledge and skills. The career coaching course is comprised of a series of units and activities that support students to identify an entrance working position that both suites the students’ individual interests and strengths. That is realistic in line with the demand of the current Rwandan labour market.” Henn said.
Aline Umutoni, a national career trainer and employment counsellor at Kigali Employment Service Centre (KESC), said every career had a beginning.
She advised graduates who find an entrance position where they can build on their strengths, to be motivated to learn, continue to develop employment-relevant skills and manage their occupational lives.
The career coaching course is based on a joint initiative of WDA and the City of Kigali with its Kigali Employment Service Centre (KECS) and is supported by GIZ.
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