Sharing knowledge on TVET in Southern Africa

In 2005, UNESCO-UNEVOC began to implement a project to enable systematic regional information sharing to enhance the effectiveness of TVET departments in Southern African countries.

Generous donations from the private sector made this project possible: a COMPAQ server and the SAP software Knowledge Warehouse, including usage rights, were donated to UNESCO-UNEVOC. SADC countries can now exchange documents on the different aspects of TVET using this platform.

From 12-15 December 2005, 11 TVET experts received training on using the SAP software. The seminar took place at the SAP Training Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. The participants represented UNEVOC Centres from Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Swaziland, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

During the four days of training, participants learned about different aspects of authoring and administrating content in the system. Immediately following the SAP training, a UNEVOC add-on day took place. It served to create a link between the technical aspects learned during the SAP training and the world of TVET. Participants determined what information to share on the platform and the navigation structure. An action plan and recommendations were also developed.

It is expected that the TVET experts who were trained in Johannesburg will reach out to other TVET experts in their countries in order to enlarge the usage of the knowledge management system. It is also envisaged to train TVET experts from the remaining SADC countries in Mauritius.

This project is implemented as a result of a proposal that was developed within the context of the initiative Learning for Life, Work and The Future: Stimulating TVET Reform in Southern Africa (LLWF). UNESCO-UNEVOC is working with its partners, the Industrial and Vocational Training Board (IVTB) in Mauritius, which hosts the server, the Ministry of Education in Botswana and SAP.