Dual apprenticeship project shows promising progress at TBL

In a move to expand the scope of its corporate and social responsibilities in the country, Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL) has reiterated its commitment to continue helping young Tanzanian professionals gain industrial hands on technical training skills in areas of engineering. Currently TBL is offering electrical installation training skills to five young artisans under the dual apprenticeship programme scheme initially piloted by the Dar es Salaam based Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA). The project aims at contributing towards improving the quality of vocation training by which young people are trained through a block release system allowing apprentices to spend different weeks of the month alternating between a training centre (classroom) and industry (workplace). TBL’s Human Resource Technical Training Manager, Goodluck Lusingu said in Dar es Salaam on Thursday this week that, since his company engaged in such skills training kit, it has demonstrated promising progress with artisans benefiting in the occupations of hands on industrial skills.  He said in an exclusive interview that, under the prograsmme TBL also offers incentives to their trainees such as free medical services, lunch and transport allowances as well as employment to those who performs well on their successful completion time. He said, this is a long term programme which is being run by the government through its vocational training institutions in collaboration with Hamburg Chamber of Skilled craft of Germany in the country since it was launched in July 2013. He said his company started artisan trainee programme and selects best students mostly with Certificates and Diplomas from engineering colleges and give them hands on skills to give them exposure with a view to master their engineering professional work.

Artisans acquiring skills under dual apprenticeship programme scheme.


However, he noted that, this is after having made an assessment and found out that most Tanzanian artisans who graduate from various engineering colleges in the country lack technical efficiency due to poor hands on skills. “This is a continuous partnership development scheme for capacity building on technical training skills TBL is spearheading this programme as part of the corporate social responsibility”, he affirmed. However, he noted that his company has so far helped about 120 artisans in another programme called “Engineering technology one” which was conducted at former Mbeya Institute of science and technology which has become a fully fledged University. Elaborating more about the programme he said that, throughout the training process they provide a working and learning environment in which the apprentices can practice and consolidate their skills acquired during their training in the classroom. The writer visited the TBL on Wednesday this week and managed to interview two of the trainee beneficiaries of the programme Maryamu Zayumba (20) and Salum Chipata (25) who both appreciated help offered to them by the TBL under the programme.  However, the TBL’s Public Communications Manager Edith Mushi said that, this is a continuous development programme which TBL has engaged with a view to help youths gain skills to enable them to practice and further their skills in all areas of the trade. She noted that, the intention of the TBL company is to see that dual apprenticeship training programme grows to become the mainstream mode of vocational education and training in Tanzania.