Preparing for a competitive skilled work-force

Various stakeholders with an interest in Rwanda’s desire to further develop the skills of its workforce met yesterday. The stakeholders who included the government, NGO’s and technical institutions discussed ways of further developing or capacitating the country’s work-force through vocational training. There is strong case for a developing country like Rwanda to keep her work-force abreast of all competition through capacity building programmes - mechanisms of which were discussed yesterday.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Various stakeholders with an interest in Rwanda’s desire to further develop the skills of its workforce met yesterday.

The stakeholders who included the government, NGO’s and technical institutions discussed ways of further developing or capacitating the country’s work-force through vocational training.

There is strong case for a developing country like Rwanda to keep her work-force abreast of all competition through capacity building programmes - mechanisms of which were discussed yesterday.

The opening up of the East African borders means there is going to be tough competition in all sectors, be it government or the corporate world. Visitors coming to Rwanda, will demand the value for their money for whatever service that is rendered.

Creating the need for a competent staff who know what they are doing, be it in bank transactions or just serving tea in a downtown restaurant.

It is a cut-throat fast developing world where demand is high for excellence in the delivery of any service.  Rwanda is a shining example in the region for her zero tolerance to corruption, her clean cities and low crime rates.

An image that can be further boosted by a work-force that delivers without any signs of incompetence or mediocrity.  You walk into some banks at times and you wonder to yourself where the tellers serving you were trained, but because you need your money you swallow hard, receive the sloppiest service and go home. This must stop!

Those institutions such as the Rwanda Education and Research Network, in partnership with government, have to subject the research report on the level of skills development in Rwanda, to full scrutiny find out the gaps, and grey areas, be they legal or institutional.

That way, capacity building programmes for the country’s tireless work-force can be implemented, not in an ad-hoc manner, but as ongoing processes. Skills development should be ongoing and must never be treated as a once of event or process.

Just like a car will need servicing once in a while and so does the country’s work-force.

Ends