RETFOP: helping meet the needs of the employment market in Angola
What is RETFOP’s approach to help address the difficulties of the labour market in Angola?
Alexandre Rosa – Scaling up training provision that meet the needs of the employment market is crucial for the development of Angola’s economy. RETFOP has been designed with this purpose, having in mind the improvement of the quality of the Angola vocational education training system. RETFOP is a capacity-building project, which means we work with the institutions in charge of providing the training. Our objective is to reinforce their capacities to define and implement measures that can improve the quality of the training students receive in public schools. We will work with the central government as well as with local authorities and vocational training schools and training centres.
How will you proceed?
Alexandre Rosa – The project is built around three components. The first one focuses on better management of the vocational training system; we will also provide the people in charge with tools to better monitor the system – for example, information systems to collect reliable data. The second component is about reinforcing the quality of the training offer, including the improvement of the curricula to make the more relevant to the needs of the labour market. It will also include the training of more than 500 teachers. Finally, the third component aims to improve the relationship between schools and companies, by developing methodologies and tools to facilitate interaction and support the labour market integration.
For further reading: Angola: Training the technicians of tomorrow
Before starting the activities, you conducted a baseline study. What was it about?
Alexandre Rosa – A first study was completed in 2015, before RETFOP started. When the project was launched in 2018, we had to see if the situation and the needs in the field had evolved, in order to adapt the activities if necessary. The study lasted for five months. During this time, we visited the six provinces covered by the project: Luanda, Benguela, Huambo, Huíla, Huige and Moxico. The four first concentrate 75% of the vocational training offer, while the other two are less populated but have specific characteristics – such as being rather remote and less developed – that explain why they need support. We had meetings with all stakeholders: provincial authorities (governors, education and professional training departments), professional training centres and schools, employers… Our objective was to understand the context and to collect information. It also allowed us to start building a relationship with our interlocutors for the next two years.
What are your conclusions?
Alexandre Rosa – This new baseline study did confirm the project’s global strategy and the main purposes, and we were therefore able to “put the engine on” and to prepare the first activities – starting with missions from French and Portuguese experts. But some adjustments are necessary and we are working on that in the process of planning the activities, as is the case of the teachers’ training programme due changes in the higher education regulations.
Which subjects will you be paying special attention to?
Alexandre Rosa – The policies we are dealing with are defined at national level, but the implementation is made in each province: therefore, we will have to work on the articulation between central and local actors. For that, we have three technical experts in Luanda, as well as regional assistants. Those will be immersed in the culture of the provinces, while making the link between the project team in Luanda and our local interlocutors.
Another challenge will be to bring closer the authorities, the vocational training centres/schools and the companies. Currently, they have very few interactions. So RETFOP will help them work together, for example by involving companies in the design of the curricula: it will allow the companies to explain what they expect from a graduate while increasing their trust in the quality of the training delivered in public schools. The system of internships, as a way to help the students integrate the labour market must be improved and it is another focus of the project. All these activities will contribute to building links and channels of communication between all actors, which is necessary to ensure that the training offer meets the needs of the private sector.
Find out more about the RETFOP project 
