It is 10am at a nursery school in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, and classes are in session. A caregiver asks the children what they would like to be when they grow up.
All the kids eagerly raise their hands. For the sake of order, the caregiver points at who should speak.
“I want to be a doctor,” says one child before sitting down as the class applauds.
“I want to be a lawyer,” says another child sitting in the middle of the class.
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“I want to be a pilot,” adds a third.
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Other children take turns in mentioning their dream careers.
A few kilometres away, a private primary school is hosting a career day. Pupils wear costumes representing their preferred professions. The most popular choices are nursing, medicine, military service, journalism and law enforcement.
At a secondary school in the capital, a teacher encourages students to work hard so that they can attend university and study law, medicine, economics, engineering, accounting, business administration and public administration, among others.
Months later, public universities release their selection lists. The brightest students with aggregate points between six and 20 are selected to pursue these programmes at Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must), Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Kuhes), Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (Mubas), University of Malawi (Unima), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) and Mzuzu University.
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Students with lower grades attend private universities, while those with the lowest scores are steered toward technical courses such as carpentry, tailoring, welding, bricklaying, plumbing, electrical installation, refrigeration, automotive mechanics and ICT, among others, at technical and community colleges.
Yet despite Malawians’ preference for white-collar careers, the modern world demands technical skills more than ever.
Houses, clothing, furniture, mobile phones—all are products of technical expertise.
Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (Ecam) President Annie Chavula believes Malawi must address the societal perception that undermines technical and vocational training.
“Technical, entrepreneurial, vocational and education training should be seen as a first-choice career pathway rather than an alternative to conventional education. We urge policymakers, educators and industry leaders to continue championing the value of technical skills in our economy,” Chavula said.
The Ecam chief notes that entrepreneurship must be prioritised alongside job creation.
“Many young Malawians possess the potential to become great innovators and business leaders, yet they lack the necessary skills and resources. We, as Ecam, call for increased investment in entrepreneurship training and access to finance so that Tevet graduates can create their own employment opportunities,” Chavula added.
Must Vice Chancellor Address Malata emphasises the need for mindset change, insisting Tevet courses are not second-class options.
According to Malata, no country can achieve Sustainable Development Goals without Tevet.
Even the Africa Agenda 2063 and Malawi 2063 vision heavily rely on technical skills.
Malata advocates for revising curricula to incorporate Tevet courses, starting from early childhood development.
“Our curricula in the past created opportunities for young people, even in primary school, to learn trades and skills. We have removed all that and people are just learning generic programmes.
“My plea is for those doing curricula review to bring back those trade skills so that even if you don’t make it to college, you are self-sustainable. In developed countries, those pushing industrialisation are people with Tevet skills,” Malata said.
Teveta Board Chairperson Pyoka Tembo notes that Malawi’s youthful population could drive economic transformation, but that many young people lack the right skills for productive economic activities.
Minister of Labour Peter Dimba acknowledges that Malawi needs a vibrant Tevet subsector to achieve Malawi 2063 goals, noting that the current administration has tripled technical college intake from 2,500 to over 7,500 students.
President Lazarus Chakwera believes Tevet courses are essential for making Malawian youth productive.
“The money for running government programmes comes from citizens who are working. So, if we are not working hard, the budget will just end on paper,” Chakwera holds.
A joint study by the World Bank, ILO, and Unesco found that effective Tevet systems produce graduates with not only the right skills for today’s jobs but also the ability to adapt as skills change with the times.
World Bank Vice President for Human Development Mamta Murthi notes that “Almost one quarter of youths are not in education, employment or training worldwide; and among young women, this rate rises to almost one-third. Good Tevet systems will help countries invest in skills and jobs for young people.”
There appears to be widespread consensus on the importance of Tevet courses.
