By Prosper Makene
The government together with the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and World Bank have commended the National Institute of Transport (NIT) on implementing East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP), saying the Institute has progressed well in infrastructure development and capacity building in supporting the aviation and transport sector.
During their visit to NIT main campus in Mabibo, Dar es Salam over the weekend, the Team were pleased with the progress made in the construction of various buildings at the Institute which are now complete at 100 percent.
They commended the Institute’s administration team for their exceptional project management skills and dedication in ensuring that the construction meets the set standards.
Dr. Cosam Joseph, the Project Coordinator for the EASTRIP at the IUCEA, said: “We are very satisfied with the quality of the work that has been done here, the contractors have done a great job led by the Institute’s leadership.”
He added: “We have seen the necessary training equipment which are now installed and we believe that aviation training at NIT will be at an international level. The Institute is not only for Tanzanians but students from all over the East African countries will come for aviation courses here.”
…workers from aviation industry will also come at NIT to reshape their skills, the investment which have been invested here are in modern technology to suit the needs of the aviation industry market, he observed
Dr Cosam went on to appreciate the huge investment made by the government at NIT. “We thank the government for this huge investment. We believe that NIT will not remain silent, they will try to promote and marketing various courses that are offered here so as make the Institute well known outside the borders of the country.”
On his part, Dr. Fredrick Salukele, Director of Vocational Training at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology said that about USD 21 million was been allocated to implement EASTRIP project at NIT.
Dr Salukele said the project will greatly help to produce enough professionals in the transport sector particularly in the aviation.
“More than 80 percent of USD 21m was set for the construction of infrastructure and training equipment. We have today visited the infrastructure development, thanks to the NIT management team the buildings are successfully 100 percent complete,” he said.
He pointed out that the construction of hangar at Kilimanjaro International Airport for NIT’s aviation training will commence on 1st September (Next Month).
He further said that the government’s strategic projects are being implemented and the state expects to see local experts trained by institutions such as NIT.
Speaking at the event, NIT Rector Dr Prosper Mgaya said: “We thanks the six phase government for supporting the Institute through EASTRIP project of which for the first time in the history, the state Institute is now providing pilot training in the country.”
Dr Mgaya has further said that they have managed to enroll 10 students for pilot courses and 12 others are still on line.
He also said that NIT has received accreditation from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to be an International License Examination Centre for Aircraft Maintenance License Training.
NIT being a Centre for Aircraft Maintenance License Training, local experts will have quality and appropriate criteria for competitiveness in the regional and international labour market.
However, the EASTRIP project aims at strengthening Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Institutions by establishing Regional Flagship TVET Institutions (RFTIs) focusing on either ICT, Transport, Manufacturing, Agro-processing or Renewable Energy. EASTRIP is implemented in three countries; Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, with a total of 16 RFTIs selected among the three countries.
In Tanzania, NIT is one among the beneficiaries of the project focusing on air transport and transport operations in general by establishing a Center of Excellence in Aviation and Transport Operations (CoEATO) other beneficiaries including Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) and Arusha Technical College (ATC).
According to the 2015 World Bank Enterprise Surveys, over 25 percent of the formal firms surveyed in Sub-Saharan Africa identify an inadequately educated workforce as a major constraint, and over 29 percent of all production workers are rated unskilled workers by these firms. Shortage of specialized technical and vocational education and training (TVET) skills is particularly acute in transport, energy, manufacturing, including agro-processing, and ICT, and this could slow the industrialization agenda.
