By Aisha Tamba
& Zainab Seesay
Tekki Fii project will train more than a 1000 young Gambians in the next three years.
A curriculum has been developed by GIZ International Services – a German agency for international cooperation – who engaged 16 experts since April to develop the curriculum in relevant courses of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) development in The Gambia.
A TVET specialist said the one-day validation workshop on the eight essential thematic areas are relevant to the course of TVET development in The Gambia.
“These 16 experts were industrial experts and teachers in the TVET institutions who were engaged to develop the curriculum in April,” Momodou Bitaye.
‘Tekki Fii’ aims to inform young Gambians about ongoing support programmes of the government and its partners and to change perceptions regarding irregular migration while showcasing and encouraging them to make it at home.
Fabio Germano, team leader of GIZ, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Higher Education for the cooperation they received.
He explained that the project’s objective is to engage in series of activities and help unravel the potential of Gambian youths to enhance the business landscape.
He said training 1,300 youths in the next 3 years is a huge task.
“We have started contacting our first market assessment team which will enable us to determine some key areas of intervention.
“I think we need to invest very seriously in building a very strong foundation for the young people in order for them to find their way to the market. That is what the GIZ and ‘Tekki Fii’ projects are here for,” Fabio explained.
The CEO of Sterling Consortium, Kebba Sillah, emphasised that a standardised educational curriculum is the first pillar to the success of any educational goal as it lays the foundation to make sustainable impact.
“The important component of the curriculum will generate synergy, improve learning quality and minimise skills gap or mismatch that employers are crying for all these years. The curriculum will also give opportunity for learning to integrate easily into GSQ framework and further enhance young people’s academic and professional development,” he said.
The 3-year project is designed to equip youth with job-ready skills and entrepreneurship opportunities in a variety of sectors, ranging from solar to agricultural to creative industries and tourism.
It will also provide the communities with relevant social and recreational facilities and activities, with a focus on sports, to reinforce social cohesion and promote youth in rural development.
GIZ International Services is one of the implementing partners of the ‘Tekki Fii’ Programme, which is being sponsored by the European Union through its Trust Fund for Africa.
