The Rwanda Workforce Development Authority (WDA) has embarked on hands-on practical training with an aim of creating a pool of local skilled people with the necessary skills in various sectors of the economy.

WDA is an institutional framework that is set to provide a strategic response to the skills development challenges facing the country across all sectors of the economy.

Speaking to The Sunday Times yesterday, the Coordinator of Integrated Polytechnic and Regional Centre at WDA, Didier Munezero, told this paper that the efforts by the government in the practical training will see a reduction in dependence on foreign experts.

"The government has been spending a lot on foreign expatriates, but now much emphasis has been put on hands-on practical training to empower local people with necessary knowledge which will help reduce dependence on foreign experts,” said Munezero.

According to Munezero, in its mission of promoting, facilitating and guiding the development and upgrading of skills and competencies of the national work force, WDA has integrated major technical schools in its programs.

Among the schools that are working directly with WDA is Integrated Polytechnic and Regional Centre (IPRC) Kigali campus where courses like Pedagogy for vocational training, Electronic servicing, ICT in networking and many others are offered in more practical ways other than the traditional theoretical means.

Athanase Gasirabo, a finalist in Construction technology from IPRC/ Kigali, said that the new teaching method of practical training has provided them with better building experience.

"The technological building experience that we have acquired will help us in doing quality work which will help our country’s infrastructures,” said Gasirabo.

He however noted that there is need for more people to get this much-needed training and urged the government through WDA to help more people acquire the practical capability.

A Lecturer of Structural Designing at IPRC/ Kigali, Kennedy Kimanthi, said that the practical trainings will give the country effective and qualified engineers because experience comes from exercise, which is what the students are getting.

Two regional workforce development centres, one in Kigali City and another in the Southern Province, have been established, but WDA plans to establish the centres in all the five regions of the country.

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