The workshop brought together policymakers, TVET leaders, researchers, regional representatives, and development partners to validate findings that will inform future policies, capacity development, and investments aimed at strengthening digital skills across Ethiopia’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system.
Organized under the Better Education for Africa’s Rise (BEAR III) Project, the workshop forms part of UNESCO’s support to Ethiopia’s digital transformation agenda. The assessments provide a comprehensive analysis of the digital competencies of TVET teachers and trainees, identify existing capacity gaps, and propose practical recommendations to strengthen digital teaching, learning, institutional leadership, and workforce readiness in response to the rapidly evolving demands of the labour market.
Speaking at the workshop, Dr. Abdoulaye Salifou, Chief of the Education Sector at the UNESCO Liaison Office in Addis Ababa, highlighted that digital transformation is fundamentally reshaping economies and the skills required for employment. “For Ethiopia, where a significant proportion of the population is young, investing in digital skills is not simply an educational priority—it is a national development imperative,”he said. Dr. Salifou noted that the training needs assessments represent an important milestone, providing evidence-based insights into the digital competencies required by TVET teachers and students while identifying practical recommendations to strengthen digital teaching, learning, and institutional management.
Dr. Habtamu Mulugeta, Deputy Director General of the Federal TVET Institute, emphasized that the assessments provide a critical foundation for implementing Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia Strategy. He noted that the findings will help align TVET programmes with emerging technologies and evolving labour market needs, ensuring that graduates are equipped with the digital competencies required for the future of work.
During the two-day workshop, researchers from the Federal TVET Institute presented the findings of the assessments to 37 experts representing the Ministry of Labor and Skills, Regional TVET Bureaus, TVET colleges, and development partners. Through technical presentations, group discussions, and plenary sessions, participants reviewed the findings and provided recommendations to further strengthen the reports before their finalization.
Participants reviewed the findings and recommendations of the assessments, highlighting several priority areas for strengthening digital skills development within Ethiopia’s TVET system, including:
- Addressing the gap between awareness and the practical application of artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies.
- Strengthening the assessments by incorporating emerging digital competencies and technologies relevant to the future world of work.
- Identifying institutional and structural barriers that affect digital transformation within TVET institutions.
- Expanding future assessments to the regional level and increasing sample sizes to generate more representative evidence.
- Moving from self-reported questionnaires to practical, performance-based assessments that better measure digital competencies.
- Aligning digital skills training and future assessments more closely with evolving labour market needs.
The workshop concluded with the validation of the assessment reports and the development of an action plan outlining priority interventions to strengthen the digital competencies of TVET teachers and trainees. The recommendations will inform future policy development, curriculum enhancement, teacher professional development, and investment priorities under the BEAR III Project, contributing to a more inclusive, resilient, and future-ready TVET system in Ethiopia.
About the BEAR III Project
The Better Education for Africa’s Rise (BEAR III) Project (2023–2027) is a partnership between UNESCO and the Republic of Korea that supports the transformation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems in Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania. In Ethiopia, the project focuses on accelerating the digital transformation of the TVET system by strengthening digital skills, improving teaching and learning, and enhancing the responsiveness of TVET to labour market needs.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/strengthening-digital-skills-ethiopias-tvet-system?hub=701
