By Phales Nthambo:
Access to vocational skills training has remained a challenge for many young people in Malawi due to inadequate infrastructure in community technical colleges.
Poor learning environments, limited workshop space, overcrowded classrooms and the absence of student accommodation, particularly for girls, have negatively affected enrolment and completion rates.
The Skills for a Vibrant Economy Project is beginning to change this situation through investment in infrastructure across the country’s community technical colleges.
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Implemented by the Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority, the project is constructing modern facilities in selected colleges to improve access to quality vocational training.
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Funded by the World Bank at a cost of approximately $100 million, the initiative aims to strengthen technical education and equip young people with skills that can contribute to Malawi’s economic growth.
Beneficiary colleges are undergoing significant transformation. New classrooms, workshops, ICT laboratories and girls’ hostels are being constructed to create a conducive learning environment and improve access to training.
One of the institutions benefiting is Ezondweni Community Technical College in Traditional Authority Mtwalo in Mzimba District.
The college is receiving new infrastructure, including a 44-bed girls’ hostel, an ICT laboratory and additional classroom blocks.
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Previously, many students, especially girls, struggled to continue their studies due to long distances travelled to attend classes.
Group Village Head Chalambira Shonga of Ezondweni says the initiative has come at the right time.
Shonga says the construction of a girls’ hostel will help remove barriers that have prevented many girls from accessing technical education.
“We have been encouraging our children to acquire vocational skills but girls faced many challenges because they had nowhere to stay.
“The hostel will provide a safe environment and encourage more parents to send their daughters to the college,” Shonga says.
He believes enrolment of female students will increase once the hostel is completed and adds that improved infrastructure will also help reduce dropout rates.
Shonga adds that the ICT laboratory will expose students to modern technology and improve the quality of learning at the college.
“Digital skills are becoming increasingly important in today’s job market and this facility will help prepare students for future opportunities,” he says.
Beyond improving education, the project is also creating economic benefits for local communities.
Residents have secured employment during the construction phase while local businesses are supplying goods and services to contractors on site.
Meanwhile, Principal of Kasama Technical College in Chitipa, Kondwani Nyirongo, says the new facilities will enable the institution to enrol more students and introduce additional training programmes.
He says this will increase the number of skilled graduates who can contribute to development in their communities.
Nyirongo adds that the expanded infrastructure will allow the college to introduce motorcycle mechanics training, a programme aimed at addressing road safety concerns in the district.
“The main motivation for introducing this course is the challenge communities face due to the shortage of experienced motorcycle mechanics,” he says.
Vocational skills training remains a key pathway to employment and self-reliance for young people.
Graduates from community technical colleges often establish their own businesses or secure employment in sectors such as construction, agriculture, tailoring, electrical installation and information technology.
The project is expected to play a significant role in addressing youth unemployment by increasing access to practical, market-relevant skills.
A better learning environment is helping students acquire competencies needed in today’s labour market.
Education stakeholders have welcomed the investment, describing it as a major step towards strengthening Malawi’s technical and vocational education sector.
They say improved infrastructure will motivate learners and instructors while enhancing the overall quality of training.
As construction progresses at Ezondweni Community Technical College and other institutions across the country, optimism is growing among communities.
Many young people, particularly girls, now see the new infrastructure as an opportunity to pursue education without barriers and build a brighter future.
One student, Grace Chinkhuntha, who is studying tailoring and design, has welcomed the development, saying it will ease the financial burden faced by many learners.
“We spend more than K200,000 every month on rent and basic necessities. We hope that once the hostel is completed, our expenses will reduce allowing us to focus more on our studies,” Chinkhuntha says.
The project is being implemented across Malawi with funding of $100 million from the World Bank, with a strong focus on enhancing female participation in vocational training.
Through it, thousands of young Malawians are expected to gain access to quality skills training, creating a skilled workforce capable of driving economic growth and national development for years to come.
