Twenty-four vocational projects have been selected to benefit from the World Bank-funded Skills Development Project (SDP) that will facilitate implementation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme.

The grants to the projects were introduced to improve access to quality and demand responsive vocational training under the Workforce Development Authority (WDA).

The project winners will be awarded grant totalling Rwf718 million in the second awarding, the first one having gone to 17 projects, which shared Rwf595 million in November last year. 

During the function to announce the winners, the State Minister for TVET, Albert Nsengiyumva, said no country can attain sustainable growth without skills, adding that it is for this reason that government gives priority to TVET.

"This enormous support will help us reduce skills gaps to meet our development targets. This grant is given to you in order to impact your communities, during the implementation of your projects, follow the regulations set up by WDA to ensure both the desired quantity and quality,” Nsengiyumva said.

Sectors supported through SDP include carpentry, automotive mechanics, handcraft and tailoring, beauty and aesthetics, manufacturing, welding, agriculture, hospitality and tourism, and construction and building. 

Speaking to The New Times, Jerome Gasana, the WDA director-general, said after the second call for proposals, they received 170 entries and only 64 fulfilled the criteria for pre-selection and 34 from whom the final 24 were chosen.

"The winners for the second round are engaged in trainings like beauty and aesthetics, construction, ICT, automobile mechanics, agriculture, carpentry, welding, electricity, among others,” said Gasana.

All provinces got at least one project supported but the majority of projects came from Kigali City.