The German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) has committed to support the improvement of capacity on standards requirements in the area of electrical installation. The  move will bridge the skills gap in the industry.

The GTZ said on Wednesday it will provide both financial and technical support to train existing and future workforce and companies on the requirements of Rwandan, East African and international standards, in the field of electrical installation.

"This is aimed to have a direct and immediate effect. It will also increase safety,” said Thomas Bedenbecker, GTZ’s Coordinator of the Sustainable Economic Development sector. 

He made the revelation when signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Electrogaz, Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) and the Private Sector Federation (PSF).

According to the MoU, the various training measures mainly conducted at Electrogaz training centre are expected to enable participants to better understand the requirements of the standards for the product/service they are involved with.

The press statement by GTZ said RBS will get feedback and guidance from the private sector on the applicability of standards and the consequences their off. 

"The role of PSF, being the representative of the private sector, is to disseminate information on applicable standards and relevant training opportunities to its members and possibly contribute to their organisation as a service to its member companies,” it added.

The MoU between the four institutions comes at a time when the latest ‘National Skills Audit Report’ portrays an overall skills gap of 40 percent.

The report by the Public Capacity Building Agency says that the skills deficit in the education sector stands at 84 percent. The sector is said to be the worst hit.

"The support comes at the right time. We don’t have enough skilled people especially in the area of vocation training,” said Dr. Anastase Kimonyo, Director General of RBS.

The partners said the project, which will initially be centered in Kigali, will later be rolled out across the country, bringing on board the informal sector.

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