Sharing workshop on the outcome of the Pefop (2015- 2022) and the future of IIEP-UNESCO Dakar's support to vocational training in Africa
As part of completion of the Platform of Expertise in Vocational Training (Pefop) programme, IIEP-UNESCO Dakar has organized an international workshop on 1 and 2 June 2022 in Dakar, to draw the major lessons from the Pefop programme and discuss, with African actors and international partners, the future perspectives of IIEP-UNESCO to continue to provide relevant and effective support. The workshop brought together more than 80 African actors and partners.
Almost seven years after its launch, the Vocational Training Expertise Platform (Pefop) programme, financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by IIEP-UNESCO Africa Office, is coming to an end this June 2022.
To take stock of the achievements and lessons learned from Pefop and to discuss prospects for IIEP-UNESCO Dakar's support to vocational training in Africa, the IIEP-UNESCO Africa Office has invited a group of 80 African stakeholders and partners to participate in a two-day sharing and reflection workshop on 1st and 2nd June 2022 in Dakar, with the theme: "Assessment and Perspectives of the Support to Vocational Training in Africa".
Since the official launch of Pefop in November 2015, many activities have been developed for the benefit of vocational training stakeholders in Africa.
>>> Read the retrospective article on Pefop's support: Looking back on seven years of TVET transformation in Africa
Context
Pefop has been a great opportunity for IIEP-UNESCO Dakar to support large-scale actions in the field of vocational training development and management in Africa, implemented over the long term by many African countries and actors.
Support to this sector has become an important function for the IIEP-UNESCO Africa Office, which has developed multiple expertises and various support modalities to accompany partner countries and actors. While the original program is coming to an end, the work in the field of TVET will continue.
Objective of the workshop
The objective was to bring together the main IIEP partners involved (beneficiaries on the continent) or concerned (TVET TFPs in Africa) by Pefop since 2015 in order to take stock of the implementation of the program and to identify perspectives for the future.
The specific objectives of the workshop are to :
- Share the results of the evaluation of the implementation of Pefop, its successes and lessons learned
- Discuss the prospects for IIEP-UNESCO Dakar's support in the field of TVET in relation to the evolving needs of African countries and actors in the sector
- Explore, with beneficiaries and technical and financial partners, the most relevant future working arrangements to ensure the efficiency of IIEP's support
- Position future actions within the framework of the IIEP's Africa strategy and the reflection on a thematic axis "Skills for Employment".
Report of the workshop
The workshop brought together a group of 80 participants: representatives of the public and private TVET sector from 15 African countries, African regional networks and organisations, and some 20 technical and financial partners of TVET in Africa (some of them by videoconference from their headquarters). The workshop was opened by Koffi Segniagbeto, Head of the IIEP-UNESCO Dakar Office, and Alexandre Berthon-Dumurgier of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
The program was developed as follows:
- The first day was devoted to the assessment of the Pefop
The objective of the first day was to draw lessons from the different modalities of action tested. The thematic sessions were introduced by the elements drawn from the evaluation, which were then discussed, commented on and appreciated by both the actors who had collaborated with the Pefop team and the TFPs in vocational training. The aim was to draw up a coherent picture of the IIEP's multiple proven expertise, but also of the aspects requiring reinforcement or increased investment to continue the work in the field of skills development for employment. In total, 35 African countries have been involved in Pefop activities between 2015 and 2022. This first day was an opportunity for many actors involved in the Pefop project to recall the benefits of this support in their respective countries.
- The second day was devoted to perspectives
The second day aimed at putting the Pefop "in prospective" by questioning the stakes of the perpetuation of the TVET function within the IIEP-UNESCO Dakar. On this occasion, group work sessions were organized in order to push the reflection. The floor was then given to the TFPs, and to the Pefop evaluators who presented a prospective analysis of the TVET function. Koffi Segniagbeto, Head of the IIEP-UNESCO Dakar Office, finally closed the workshop by stating that "the idea of Pefop will be perpetuated within IIEP-UNESCO Dakar through a new strategy currently being developed for the African continent", while calling "all partners and governmental and international partners, to participate in the perpetuation of this idea so that this support to vocational training and integration of youth, is there and available for countries and for the emergence of the continent."