Project profile — Strengthening Education in Natural Resource Management in Ethiopia

• Ethiopia (100.00%)

• Secondary Education: Vocational training (11330) (35.00%)
• Higher education:
Higher education (11420) (20.00%)
Advanced technical and managerial training (11430) (15.00%)
• Mineral/mining policy and administrative management:
Mineral/mining policy and administrative management (32210) (10.00%)
Mineral prospection and exploration (32220) (20.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to improve the employability of people, especially women, in local communities as well as university undergraduates in natural resource fields like geology, mining and engineering. It works through universities and technical institutes to improve the quality of programs, align them more closely with the needs of the private sector, and thereby increase the number of men and women with the relevant skills and qualifications to work in these fields. The project is building the capacity of the geology and mining engineering departments of four universities by: (1) reviewing and updating relevant curricula so they better meet industry standards; (2) supporting faculty and laboratory development; (3) facilitating linkages among higher education, industry and government to share and exchange information and resources; and (4) improving the capacity of university partners to better prepare female students for work in the natural resources sector. The project is also improving the ability of technical and vocational education and training institutes to provide short-term training with the participation of the private sector by: (1) training instructors on how to design and deliver employability and tailored vocational skills training; and (2) strengthening the employability of community members, especially women, to benefit from opportunities in the natural resources sector in and around their communities.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved ability of university degree programs in geology and natural resources engineering to produce graduates, especially women, that have the environmental and technical knowledge and skills needed by the natural resource management sector; and (2) increased relevant technical, vocational and employment skills by local community members, especially women, in communities near natural resources hubs and exploitation sites.

Results achieved as of March 2018 include: (1) the project has rented, staffed and equipped two offices; and produced the project implementation plan, Gender Equality Strategy, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Situational Analysis, and completed a Labour Market Survey for Tigray region; (2) most local and international staff have been hired and trained; (3) international experts have reviewed relevant curricula for Earth Sciences and Geology, evaluated pedagogical methods and teacher qualifications in 2 of 4 university partners, inspected lab facilities, reviewed library and software resources, and interviewed students, teachers and mining community members to assess educational and employment opportunities as well as gender issues in mining-related training and employment; (4) A Higher Education and a TVET Working Group have been established to review and support the project's educational activities; (5) the first TVET partner institution (Shire Polytechnical College) has been selected for the development of a technical mining program in the Tigray region; and (6) revision and validation of selected mining-related Occupational Standards has been initiated, short-term course options determined, teacher training needs identified, and three pilot communities (artisanal and small-scale mining activities) and their associated concerns have been identified to be addressed by the project. These results have contributed to the improvement of the employability of people, especially women, in local communities as well as university undergraduates in natural resource fields like geology, mining and engineering in Ethiopia.

• Proactive disclosure