Youth Employment and Skills Development in The Gambia
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TVET has benefited from li le capital investment. Other donor financing, such as EC assistance to the NTA, has involved essentially expert services. The 2006 Public Expenditure Review includes a projection of investment requirements by level of education and training. The gap for TVET is the highest of any level of education,9 as shown in Table 4.4. Table 4.4: TVET Government Financing and Projected Investment Shortfall, 2006-2015 Government Financing Amount
Financing Gap %
Amount
%
Overall Financing Gap (%)
3,694.41
100.0
3,694.41
1.9
100.0
2,665.96
100.0
2,665.96
1.4
100.0
0
853.36
96.7
882.11
0.5
96.7
0.3
%
Amount
0.00
0
—
—
Improve Quality
0.00
Improve Management
Improve Access Increase Relevance
Total Investment Required
74.55
14.4
441.99
85.6
516.54
Predictable and Adequate Funding
—
—
55.61
100.0
55.61
0
100.0
Functional Policy and Strategic Planning Framework
—
—
26.59
100.0
26.59
0
100.0
74.55
—
7,737.91
98.7
7,841.22
Total
4.0
85.6
98.7
Source: PER 2006, Table 10.4.
It is reasonable to conclude that the bulk of the financing for skills development comes from non government sources. Only a small minority of training institutions are government owned. In addition, one distinguishing feature of TVET in The Gambia is the willingness of parents and trainees to pay for skills acquisition, even in postsecondary technical institutions. The NTA collects information on fees charged by training institutions for various courses, mainly in privately-owned institutions, through its registration process. The data show that programs in accounting, business, tourism and ICT cost D 5,000 to D 8,000 (US$186 to US$297) per six month course. A few institutions charge higher fees, in the range of D 15,000 to D 20,000 (US$558 to US$743) for one to two year programs. the GTTI charges fees at the lower end of the range: its one year programs cost about the same as six month programs in private institutions; a one year course in ICT user skills costs between D 5,200 and D 7,500 (US$193 to US$279) for a certificate or diploma; and a two year engineering course costs D 4,700 to D 8,500 (US$175 to US$315). Despite this, the GTTI is still able to raise two thirds of its revenue from student fees and service contracts. In contrast, NTA data show that fees at vocational institutions are generally much lower than in technical institutes. The Njawara Agricultural Training Center charges no fees at all. The NGO WEC Wellingara Skill Center charges only D 600 (US$22) per year and Bokalaho Skills Training Center charges D 1,500 (US$56). One reason is that such training centers are typically community or NGO owned and operated, and seek to reach lower income groups as part of their mission.
Recent TVET Reforms The 2002 TVET policy aims “to ensure an adequate response to labor market requirements in all sectors, having regard to globalization and regionalization, and to provide opportunities for life-long learning.” The policy recommended an institutional and leg-