College of the Rockies welcomed four visitors from Tanzania from October 5 to 14, 2015.
Mr. John Kengese, President of Mwanza Regional Vocational Training and Service Centre, Mrs. Hildegardis Bitegera, Vocational and Education Training Authority of Tanzania, Mr. Julian Sowani, Senior Vocational Instructor and Mr. Edwin Temu, Vocational Instructor came to draw on the College’s experience in connecting with industry and government.
The College was selected in March to lead a Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) project, in partnership with Camosun College and Mwanza Regional Vocational Training and Service Centre, to work to improve the ability of Tanzanian technical and vocational training institutions to deliver effective skills training programs. Currently the project is focussing on heavy duty mechanics.
The Tanzanian contingent plans to use what they learned during their visit to research the appropriate labour market information needed to revise their current heavy duty mechanic curriculum, making it more relevant to industry needs.
During the visit, members of the College’s faculty and management teams were also able to share their expertise in curriculum development, essential skills (including reading, writing and numeracy), instruction of heavy duty mechanics, establishing relationships with industry, and competency-based training (providing students with concrete skills that are sought by employers).
“This is a project that speaks to the variety of experts that the College offers to our partners and to the value our institution provides in advising how to successfully develop competency-based education and training. It was also a great opportunity to exchange some cultural similarities and differences between Canada and Tanzania ,” says Michael Hay, College of the Rockies’ International Projects and Marketing Specialist.
It is hoped that with improved, industry-focussed curriculum, graduates of Mwanza Regional Vocational Training and Service Centre will find themselves highly employable in high-paying Trades jobs.
Learn more about College of the Rockies International projects.