Three winning competitors of Restaurant Services : Gold - Shradha Shah (Kenya), Silver - Alisoa Galle Wolhuaser (Madagascar), Bronze - Mugerwa Husama (Uganda) © WorldSkills Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and Uganda are among the African countries, plus Team Refugees competitors at the WorldSkills Africa 2022, which took place in Swakopmund, Namibia from 28 March to 2 April.
100 participants competed to win medals in 16 skills, where UNESCO BEAR II countries: Rwanda (3), Kenya (2), Madagascar (1), and Uganda (1) won big. The three-tier event was hosted by World Skills Namibia in partnership with World Skills International and the African Union included a skills competition, a careers exhibition, and a TVET Conference.
Since 2017, UNESCO through the Better Education for Africa’s Rise (BEAR II) Project has been strengthening the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in five beneficiary countries in Eastern Africa, namely Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Uganda. The activities have been aiming at improving the relevance, quality, and perception of TVET in the target sectors of beneficiary countries and the development and harnessing of skills.
Kenya was admitted as the 84th member of World Skills International through the support of UNESCO BEAR II Project. UNESCO has walked with the TVETA Authority and other TVET stakeholders in Kenya to support and facilitate Kenya’s readiness and participation at the World Skills 2022. With the support of UNESCO BEAR II Project, four competitors from Kenya participated in the competition. The competitors from Kenya emerged among the top teams in cooking and restaurant services at the World Skills Africa 2022 competitions. We congratulate Kenya on winning 2 medals (Gold and Bronze) in their first attempt at the World Skills Africa Competition.
The event took place under the theme “Promoting Skills Development in the 21st Century for Sustainable Economic Growth and African Ownership” and offered an excellent engagement platform for policymakers, industry, and TVET experts. The participating countries included Ghana (11), Kenya (4), Namibia (17), Uganda (5), South Africa (14), Zambia (3), DRC (9), Ethiopia (10), Rwanda (4), Madagascar (6) and Team Refuge (1). The competitors showcased their skills in Electrical Installations, Fashion Technology, Hairdressing, Joinery, Mechanical Engineering CAD and Mechatronics. Others included Plumbing and Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Restaurant Service, Wall and Floor Tiling, Water Technology, Web Technologies, Welding, Automotive Technology, Bricklaying and Cooking.
Through BEAR II Project, UNESCO has been supporting Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Uganda to change the perception of Technical Vocational Education and Training. World Skills Competition presents an opportunity for more young people at the national, regional and global to be involved in influencing perceptions through actions. UNESCO wishes all the winning Africa teams all the best at the next global World Skills Competition to be held in Shanghai, China later in October this year.