The Education System in Malawi
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Table 8.8: Employment (of All Kinds) Rate of TEVET Graduates or Leavers, Aged 25– 34 and 35–59 in Different African Countries (in %)
Country
Job Insertion, TEVET, 25–34
Job Insertion, TEVET, 35–59
Year
Difference Between Age Groups
Malawi
93.9
97.8
2004
–3.9
Uganda
92.8
96.6
2002
–3.8
Rwanda
92.7
90.4
2001
2.3
Lesotho
91.2
97.0
2002
–5.8
Mozambique
90.6
96.9
2002
–6.3
Ethiopia
89.7
94.7
2004
–5.0
Ghana
89.5
93.8
2003
–4.3
Benin
83.0
93.0
2006
–10.0
Mauritania
79.3
91.3
2005
–12.0
Burkina Faso
78.0
88.4
2002
–10.4
Mali
72.8
74.2
2004
–1.4
Sierra Leone
72.3
88.6
2003
–16.3
Togo
71.0
80.0
2006
–9.0
Cameroon
70.9
81.6
2001
–10.7
Côte d'Ivoire
69.8
67.8
2002
2.0
Senegal
60.5
77.5
2001
–17.0
Central African Republic
60.3
79.7
2003
–19.4
Congo, Rep.
59.6
79.2
2003
–19.6
Guinea
56.6
83.2
2002
–26.6
Chad
49.4
97.6
2002
–48.2
Average
76.19
87.47
–11.28
Source: World Bank database.
Another indicator for the good value of TEVET qualifications is the duration between completion and entrance into employment. Both tracer studies show good results in this regard. Yet the data in figure 8.6 suggest that apprenticeship training in fact eases labor market entry, because students have built up relations with future employers during the training time. According to the TEVETA LMS, 86 percent of all employed former apprentices found jobs within the first six months, while only 64 percent of the mixed group of TEVET graduates did so. In view of the findings that TEVET completers are in demand in the labor market, the low income level noted by both tracer studies is a cause of concern. While international comparative data show that the expected income of Malawians with a TEVET background in relation to the country’s GDP per capita. is relatively favorable (see figure 8.2), expected income remains very low compared to the expected incomes after completion of higher education. This is of particular concern because of the level and duration of formal TEVET programs, which are post secondary and often last four years. The GTZ/World Bank study established a mean monthly net income of only MK16,730, again with an extremely skewed distribution. Fifty three percent of all completers earn MK10,000 or less (see figure 8.7). There is no significant difference by gender.