Tanzania’s apprenticeship programme imparts job skills to 5,746 youth
DODOMA: THE Tanzanian government has rolled out a massive nationwide youth skills drive, enrolling 5,746 young people across all its 25 regions under the 2025/26 apprenticeship programme.
Launching the the eighth phase of the apprenticeship-based vocational skills training program on Tuesday in Dodoma, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations), Deus Sangu, said the initiative is designed to equip youth with practical, market-ready skills to enhance employability and self-reliance.
Of the beneficiaries, 3,355 are male and 2,391 females, training in 46 institutions, 29 government-owned and 17 private colleges. The programme also accommodates 60 youth with disabilities, including 37 men and 23 women.
Mr Sangu said the rollout marks a significant step toward building a skilled workforce aligned with Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050, which targets a technology-driven, upper middle-income economy.
Since its inception in 2016/17, the apprenticeship initiative has enabled 87,749 youth, 48,216 men and 39,533 women to graduate with vocational and technical skills in sectors such as tourism and hospitality, construction, ICT, agribusiness, tailoring and manufacturing.
“Upon completion of this cohort in September 2026, the total number of beneficiaries will rise to 93,495,” he said.
He stressed that classroom education alone is no longer sufficient in today’s fast-changing technological and competitive global environment.
“We cannot rely on classroom learning alone. We must strengthen practical workplace training so that our youth enter the labour market fully prepared with direct, applicable skills,” he said.
The Minister emphasised that the true measure of success will be the competence and performance of graduates in real work settings.
The Minister noted that the programme is implemented through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to ensure industry relevance and practical workplace exposure, with 60 per cent of training conducted hands-on and 40 per cent theory-based.
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He urged trainees to embrace digital transformation, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), stressing that technological literacy is now essential across professions.
“AI is not the future; it is the present workplace reality. A skilled and ethical worker should see it as an opportunity,” he said.
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations), Ms Zuhura Yunus, said reforms have strengthened the apprenticeship framework to meet formal Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) standards.
“The government, in collaboration with various stakeholders, saw the need to strengthen the programme by establishing a formal implementation framework to expand employment opportunities and ensure that training is conducted practically at workplaces,” she said.
Meanwhile, Rector of Don Bosco Vocational Training Centre, Dodoma, Eng Dr Justin Mulebya, said his institution currently enrols 650 students, including 235 government-sponsored apprentices.
