BINA Vocational School in Addis Ababa

Vocational training and employment through collaboration with the business community

Structures that have proved to be effective in the training of young people in Bavaria are also used on the African continent. This is not just about training. The focus is also initially on career orientation and then on job placement.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of future trainees in the trade sector? What prerequisites must a young person possess? Profiling is an important tool in the context of career orientation. Tailoring this and other training tools and methods to the needs of the local community, is the aim of a BINA project in the Ethiopian city of Addis Ababa to set up a vocational school.

A practical approach in collaboration with the private sector 

Berufliche Fortbildungszentren der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (Training and Development Centres of the Bavarian Employers' Associations) (bfz) works together with the Misrak Polytechnic College and Selam College in Addis Ababa. The approach is practical: Vocational training should be closely linked to the private sector. For example, the project aims to meet the shortage of skilled workers on the one hand and to provide as many young people as possible with career prospects on the other. 

Ethiopia is the second largest country on the African continent and one of the poorest. The climate and social conditions are difficult, especially for young people. Good training opportunities counteract the lack of prospects and the increase in internal migration.  

Adaptation of tried-and-tested structures to the Ethiopian context 

The topics of the BINA project range from skills assessment and career orientation to the content of the training itself and follow-up support for the young people after their training. In direct collaboration with the private sector, as many of them as possible should find employment. Structures that already work successfully in other countries are adapted to the specific Ethiopian context.  

Misrak Polytechnic College and Selam College are two of the largest educational institutions in Addis Ababa. The local project funded by the Bavarian State Chancellery operates at several levels: After training the teachers, they can act as disseminators and pass on their knowledge. Trainers from bfz support them in the areas of profiling and job placement and impart technical knowledge. Improving the technical equipment at the college is also part of the project.