21 May 2026

Development Council (HRDC) policy will place emphasis on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), following an increase in youth unemployment from 33 per cent to 40 per cent during the implementation period of the 2009–2022 strategy.

Speaking during the National Human Resource Development Strategy project stakeholder consultation workshop in Gaborone on Tuesday, CH Group consultant Mr Ezekiel Thekiso said stakeholders had identified TVET as the future of human resource development.

He said government had already begun transforming the education system, noting that vocationally trained graduates were previously not accorded the same recognition as university graduates.

“Now bright children are choosing TVET because government has started changing perceptions,” he said.

Mr Thekiso further said many Batswana were unaware of the existence of the HRDC 2009–2022 Strategy, making its failures inevitable. However, he noted that partnerships within industries such as mining, tourism and health had produced positive examples of training that addressed sector needs.

He said employers were willing to do more if supported by government, adding that school curricula remained largely irrelevant as they prepared learners for examinations instead of employment.

Mr Thekiso said respondents recommended that government take firm action to ensure technical qualifications were regarded as equivalent to university degrees.

“Technical education must be branded and given the same treatment. Colleges must have the same quality and status as universities,” he said.

He also noted that employers increasingly sought graduates with soft skills such as communication and ethics, but many graduates lacked such competencies.

According to the researches, Botswana continued to prioritise academic qualifications over TVET because technical education was still perceived as an option for those who had failed academically.

“The findings of previous studies did not raise awareness of TVET or promote parity of esteem. Given the high unemployment rates, there should at least be institutional mechanisms to deal with labour exchanges and monitor what is happening in the labour market,” he said.

 Botswana Tourism Industry Training Coordinator, Ms Thatayaone Sebego said hotels and guest houses appeared not to have been adequately consulted, resulting in visible skills mismatches where tourism graduates were often assigned hospitality duties.

Ms Sebego said tourism and hospitality were distinct disciplines, making many graduates ill-equipped for the responsibilities they were given.

She had highlighted the need for practical training facilities within tertiary institutions to ensure students acquired hands-on skills.

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