Vocational school funded by China supports youth employment in Rwanda

KIGALI -- Located in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, Forever TVET Institute provides skill training courses to increase young students' prospects in the job market.

Established in 2018 by China's Beijing Forever Technology Co., Ltd., the vocational school provides heavy machinery control, land survey and mapping, industrial electricity, road construction, computer engineering, among other subjects.

According to Narcisse Izabayo, the headteacher, the school is among good TVET schools in Rwanda. "We have some training that are not available elsewhere in the region, like heavy machine control and maintenance", he says.

He said graduates find jobs with good salaries between 100 and 500 thousands Rwandan francs (97 U.S. dollars and 487 U.S. dollars) per month. Potential employers include big Rwandan companies and Chinese companies.

The school now has 154 students. Since its inception in 2018, it has produced nearly 500 graduates in different majors.

On behalf of trainees, Jerome Uwimpuhwe is happy to be a heavy machine operator. "We as youth, the instruction we get here helps us to overcome difficulties we meet in life", he says.

Fan Qiangqiang, the general manager of the school, emphasizes that combining the excellent teaching methods in China and the local needs, the school desgins courses from theory, simulation to practical operation and then provide internship in big companies.

"We have signed permanent MoU with large local companies and all Chinese-funded companies. We provide students with internship opportunities in large companies," he said.

Fan said in the future the school will expand equipment, increase teachers and student, to provide more local employment opportunities for young people.

According to Rwanda TVET board, there are 331 vocational training schools in the country.

The country targets to create 1.5 million off-farm jobs by 2024 to reduce unemployment among the youth.