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Developing triple helix platforms, curricula and entrepreneurial skills continues in Ethiopian BFA project

26-06-2020

Our project Bright Future in Agriculture (BFA) kept moving during the Covid-19 crisis. The project team quickly adapted and switched from face-to-face to virtual meetings and activities. Over the past months the team worked hard to keep the project progress up to speed.

Among others improving the entrepreneurial skills and hence, employability of TVET graduates is an ultimate outcome envisioned in the BFA project. Currently the BFA team is undertaking an assessment of existing realities of partner TVETs to develop strategies on incorporating entrepreneurship in the TVETs curriculum that could enable them to produce entrepreneurial graduates. In line with this, a local consulting team has been conducting interviews and discussions with the colleges and partners.

As part of improving the curricula of TVETs the BFA consortium members in Ethiopia, the Netherlands, and South Africa held a series of meetings to address ways to improve the skills and competency profile of dairy, horticulture, and water utilization curricula to match industry needs.

Internship program
Also an internship program is part of the project. Virtual meetings have taken place between the BFA team in Ethiopia and the Netherlands to harmonize the internship and apprenticeship programs. Currently a document to set the strategies to create college, bureau and private sector bi-annual platforms to discuss learnings and re-design curricula and occupational standards as per the lessons is in the making.

Triple Helix
The BFA Triple Helix team is finalizing the proposal for Arba Minch Triple Helix, which aims at addressing fruit harvesting and handling. The proposal will be submitted during the next steering meeting for approval. On the other hand, the two approved triple helix platforms – Bako and Bahir Dar are progressing despite Covid-19.

Internally Displaced People
The assessment of facilitating access to education and job opportunities for internally displaced people (IDP) within Eastern Ethiopia has been finalized. This aims particularly on the vicinity of Kombolcha TVET College. The assessment was conducted by a local consultant in partnership with the college and has identified different options and the best alternatives for an intervention. One of the possible interventions is to facilitate learning and job opportunities for IDPs in agriculture within the surrounding of the Kombolcha TVET.

About Bright Future in Agriculture
Bright Future in Agriculture is a three-year project (2019–2021) that supports the Ethiopian agricultural technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector. The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and is managed by Nuffic as part of the Orange Knowledge Programme. There are in total 12 beneficiary institutions in Ethiopia out of which the Federal TVET Institute and Arba Minch University are the lead partners. Maastricht School of Management from the Netherlands is the lead implementer and together with 8 consortium member institutions from the Netherlands, Ethiopia and South Africa partake as providers.

For more information visit our website

Orange Knowledge Programme
This project is part of the Orange Knowledge Programme. Nuffic OKP contributes to a society’s sustainable and inclusive development by providing access to education and training for professionals and organisations in technical vocational education and training (TVET) and higher education. It is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of its development cooperation policy. The subsidy programme is managed by Nuffic, a Dutch non-profit organisation for internationalisation in education. It offers funding for long-term, demand-driven partnerships between Dutch knowledge institutions and organisations in 19 participating countries, as well as individual scholarships and Tailor-Made Trainings in all 53 selected countries. The € 195-m, five-year programme ends mid-2022, enabling tens of thousands to change their future. From the Dutch development cooperation policy, 4 priority themes have been selected on which to focus in the programme: Food and Nutrition Security; Water, Energy and Climate; Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; and Security and Rule of Law. Cross-cutting themes in this programme are inclusion, employability and environmental sustainability.

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