Vocational education: Addressing the gaps

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Statistics on students taking SC and HSC exams for the past few years indicate that as many as 5,000 SC holders do not proceed towards HSC exams to complete their secondary education. Many reasons could account for this: Many youngsters choose to enter the job market in order to support their families; Some may not be fully motivated to pursue their studies further, given their poor SC results; Some students cannot proceed due to lack of finance. There are also those students who opt for vocational courses that could facilitate their entry into the job market and open a career in the manufacturing, automotive or hospitality industries. According to Vidur Ramdin, an expert in higher education studying for his PhD, the topic of “vocational education” often has a recurrent theme. “Everyone says it’s a good thing and it’s vital for the economy. But – and there is always a but – it is still the academic pathway that has the higher status. As the saying goes, vocational education is a great thing… for other people’s children. Another side of this conundrum is that there is more need for vocational education than ever before,” he says. Vidur Ramdin explains that “youth unemployment, particularly among those without training or qualifications, is a scourge in many countries. But at the same time, employers are warning about skills shortages and not being able to find the right staff. Globally, the stigma of vocational education often reduces it to a second choice as compared to academia, Mauritius is of no exception to that silent rule.” Mauritius skills gap The expansion in university numbers in Mauritius has been on the upswing. The country is producing between 4,500 to 5,000 graduates (from private & public universities) every year. However, the growth in employment mismatch and underemployment across the industry is recurrent. Vidur Ramdin points out that according to the Tertiary Education Commission’s (TEC) graduate tracer study released in 2012 (the latest available), an estimated 16.8 per cent of graduates remain unemployed; 23.1% of graduates are underemployed as their jobs do not need a degree and there is big mismatch between the degree held and job undertaken. “The government is aiming at creating 100,000 jobs over the next five years. In his Economic Mission Statement – Vision 2030. The Prime Minister identified several key areas whereby graduates can have openings within both the private and public sector. At present, given that our country is undergoing major structural changes and is gearing towards services and knowledge-based growth, the need for professionals to support existing and emerging economic sectors assumes high importance,” he explains. Will Mauritius sustain its economic growth without better incentives for vocational education? Vidur Ramdin argues that the government is already making lots of efforts to reorganise its primary education with the Nine Year Continuous Basic Education project, which is a “huge step in the right direction.” However, with lip service being paid and with little or no consideration being given, there is definitely a shortfall in vocational skills. “As employment switches from primary to sectors such as ICT/ BPO and the tourism industry and also the cruise industry, there will be a need for thousands more trained workers. But then again, some of the attitudes might stand in the way such as the “mindset” of parents who focus on getting their children into university and who associate vocational skills with lower status jobs,” he remarks. But then, what solution does he propose?

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Emerging sectors In the wake of the emerging Ocean Economy, the Mauritius Maritime Training Academy (MMTA) is reducing its course fees to enable more jobseekers to enrol for courses offered by the Academy for eventual employment onboard ships. The fees for Basic Safety Training, Crowd Management, Crisis Management and Human Behaviour Training and Proficiency in Security Awareness which are Rs 11,000, and for the Pre-Sea Training Course which are Rs 40,000 have been reduced to Rs 2,000. Chandra Kumar Seepaul, a cruise ship recruiting agent, told News on Sunday that there are many opportunities for young Mauritians in the cruise industry and those who have followed vocational training in selected trades in the hospitality industry stand a better chance of landing a job. Job recognition Implementing change in the vocational education system seems bleak when it is considered to be such a fragmented system. “We have many institutions offering courses here, be it public or private institutions. There is a plethora of public and para public ones, namely NPCC, SMEDA, AREU, NWEC, National Women Council, among others. The accreditation is understood to be given only by the public body or the MITD. If one wants to pursue further studies, there is little or no opportunity.” The qualifications are not necessarily recognised in other parts of the world, which is a serious issue. There is a tendency of training the unemployed labour force to remain unemployed. Mauritius calls for a robust, high-quality alternative to the traditional college path emphasizing on the key areas identified by the government, as depicted in the diagram below. The Vocational Training Institutes should take this as the focal point to develop courses along these lines.

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Vocational explained Vocational education is education within vocational schools that prepares people for a specific trade. It directly develops expertise in techniques related to technology, skill and scientific technique to span all aspects of the trade. Vocational education is classified as using procedural knowledge. Some popular trades and courses offered In Mauritius are: • Carpentry • Electrician • Welding works • Aluminium openings assembly • Automotive repairs • Plumbing • Painting • Beauty care • Agro industry • Handicraft • Textiles • Jewellery • Building construction • Computer repairs • Printing

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