Improving Skills Training for Employment – Colleges and Institutes Canada

This program ended in 2020. It was funded by Global Affairs Canada.

The Improving Skills Training for Employment Program (ISTEP) was a seven-year $13-million program strengthening skills development in Tanzania.

What We Did

We connected 14 Canadian colleges and institutes with 11 Tanzanian technical and vocational training institutions through 13 institutional partnerships. Working in close collaboration with the Tanzanian Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), regulatory bodies, and Tanzanian employers, we helped design and develop more than 40 new training opportunities for Tanzanian youth.

Because of our work, more young Tanzanians – in particular more women and girls – have access to skills training to find work with large-scale extractive or tourism operations or to create employment as entrepreneurs for personal, economic, and community benefit.

Setting Up for Success through Collaboration

By training instructors and institutional leaders and by helping institutions build relationships with employers, the partnerships also helped build the capacity of Tanzanian institutions to deliver programs that are gender-sensitive, environmentally conscious, and respond to the needs of employers.

Because of our work, Sector Councils established through ISTEP will continue to drive a coordinated approach to skills development in key areas of Tanzania’s economy, including agriculture, tourism, energy, and construction, as well as cross-cutting areas of gender equality and environmental sustainability.