Young Africa Brings Together TVET Stakeholders to Strengthen Collaboration for Youth Employment

Harare, Zimbabwe / Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Young Africa brought together stakeholders from across the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector for its first international TVET Network Conference in Harare, Zimbabwe, under the theme “Partnering for Innovative and Market-Driven TVET.” The conference provided a platform for government representatives, training institutions, NGOs, private sector actors, development partners, and youth representatives to exchange perspectives and explore opportunities to strengthen vocational training and improve pathways to employment for young people across Africa.

As Africa’s young population continues to grow, equipping young people with relevant skills and opportunities to build sustainable livelihoods is more important than ever. Yet, organisations working in vocational education often operate in isolation, limiting opportunities to share knowledge, coordinate efforts, and develop solutions together.

Recognising this challenge, Young Africa convened the conference as a step towards establishing its TVET Network: a platform designed to connect stakeholders across countries and sectors, strengthen partnerships, exchange practical experiences, and build a collective voice for youth skills development.

Building partnerships for more effective vocational training

Under the theme “Partnering for Innovative and Market-Driven TVET,” the conference highlighted the importance of collaboration in ensuring that vocational training responds to the realities of young people and the evolving needs of the labour market.

By bringing together actors from different parts of the TVET ecosystem, Young Africa sought to encourage dialogue between training providers, employers, governments, NGOs, and development partners. Stronger connections between these stakeholders can help make vocational education more relevant to labour market demands, encourage innovation in training approaches, and create clearer pathways from skills development to internships, employment, and entrepreneurship.

The conference also reflected Young Africa’s commitment to working beyond organisational and national boundaries. By connecting its affiliates and external partners, the TVET Network creates opportunities to learn from different experiences, share effective practices, and explore collaborative approaches to youth employment and livelihoods.

As Dorien Beurskens, Co-Founder of Young Africa International, explained ahead of the conference:

“More effective vocational training, leading to skills and livelihood, is what our growing youth population needs. This conference is a unique opportunity to join forces with other players in the sector: private sector, experts, practitioners, donors, and governments.”

Showcasing innovation in accessible skills development

The conference also marked an important milestone in Young Africa’s work to expand access to vocational education through digital learning. During the event, Young Africa officially launched its Digital Vocational Education Training for Young Africans (D-VETYA) e-learning platform, developed in partnership with SERVE.

Supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, the D-VETYA project brings together Young Africa affiliates in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Nigeria, and Angola, alongside Young Africa International in the Netherlands.

The free platform offers courses in technical skills, entrepreneurship, information and communication technology (ICT), and personal development. Designed to accommodate young people facing barriers to traditional training, it enables learners to access lessons through a mobile phone, tablet, or computer, with options to download content and study offline.

At the time of its launch, more than 5,000 learners had already registered. Courses cover practical fields such as solar technology, welding, cosmetology, food production, and ICT, alongside life skills and entrepreneurship training.

The platform illustrates how collaboration across countries can support the development and sharing of innovative approaches to vocational education. By combining digital learning with practical experience and connections to local artisans and entrepreneurs, Young Africa aims to help more young people translate their skills into livelihood opportunities.

From a single conference to sustained collaboration

The first international TVET Network Conference was an important step towards strengthening connections within the vocational education sector. However, the need for collaboration extends beyond a single event.

Young Africa aims to build on this foundation by creating further opportunities for affiliates, training institutions, employers, NGOs, governments, and funders to exchange knowledge, develop partnerships, and explore joint solutions to shared challenges.

Future gatherings could provide a platform for collaborative learning and innovation around youth employment, market-driven skills development, and climate-resilient livelihoods. They could also help connect organisations and funders whose complementary expertise and resources can support more effective and sustainable approaches to vocational training.

By developing the TVET Network further, Young Africa seeks to contribute to a more connected TVET ecosystem in which organisations can learn from one another, strengthen their programmes, and work together to expand opportunities for young people across Africa.

Young Africa welcomes engagement with partners who share this ambition and are interested in advancing vocational skills development, sustainable livelihoods, and youth employment through cross-sector collaboration.