Rwanda’s construction industry has got a boost following the launch of a project that will offer specialised training to professionalise the sector and make it more competitive.

The pilot phase project under the country’s technical vocational education and training project (TVET) will focus on the three trades of masonry, tiling and painting to support the construction sector.

"The programme also seeks to actively engage the private sector in the planning and implementation of vocational training in the construction industry,” the director general of Workforce Development Authority (WDA), Jerome Gasana, told Business Times.

The project is a TVET partnership between the Chamber of Skilled Crafts (CSC) Koblenz from Germany, WDA, Private Sector Federation (PSF) and the Association of Contractors (AEBTP), National Capacity Building Secretariat (NCBS) and Construction Sector Skills Council (CSSC).

Speaking at the launch last week in Kigali, Gasana said the initiative, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development, will offer demand-oriented courses to help narrow the skills gap in the industry. It is also in line with the country’s TVET policy and helps the construction sector take part in quality and demand-oriented vocational training, he added.

Gasana explained that the one-year level three TVET courses are in tiling, masonry and painting.

Matti Tomingas, the project manager, said each pilot course will enroll 10 students each. He said they will focus on practical skills, where students will be spending 50 per cent of their time doing practical modules on sites to gain practical experience.

The students will be based at IPRC East for theory and practical basics.

"The local construction industry is growing and so is the demand for professional and specialised skills. We are, therefore, here to respond to this need and help professionalise the sector,” Tomingas said. Tomingas said they are targeting to graduate 60 students by the end of next year.

The Germany ambassador to Rwanda, Peter Fahrenhltz, said the project emphasises the inclusion of the private sector in the conception and organisation of vocational training and will help boost bilateral relationships between the two countries.

Sector players welcome the initiative

Wilson Nkuranga, the managing director Point Constructors, said skilling the sector will boost the competitiveness of industrial players.

"We have been relying on foreign expertise which is expensive. Therefore, introducing more specialised courses in the sector will help us save and grow the industry,” Nkuranga said.

More support

To further strengthen the sector, the Association of Contractors (AEBTP), IPRC East and CSC Koblenz recently signed an agreement to support students with more practical skills.

Under the deal, 30 IPRC East students on the pilot courses will be on internship placements by AEBTP member companies this year. Germany is currently investing more than Euro 22 million (about Rwf17 billion) in supporting Rwanda’s TVET programme.

business@newtimes.co.rw