Prof Adow TVET+ Center

Next to all kinds of business development services and financing, what is needed for stable growth and employment creation is building a workforce with sound skills, in order to lift the companies to a higher technical level. Out of this necessity grew Professor Adow TVET center, which will be the core of the TVET+ network. Prof Adow TVET Center is a product of a long partnership between Yme Foundation (Yme), Gurmad for Sustainable Aid (GSA) and NorSom organization. The idea originates from an evaluation carried out in 2011 to assess the impact Yme/GSA/NorSom work carried out during the emergence phase in Somalia from 2006 to 2011.
 

Since its official opening in 2013, Professor Adow has had an intake of new students every year and has to date graduated over 1,000 students. More than eighty percent (80%) of graduates are estimated to be in gainful employment.

The idea of a TVET Centre was prompted by the fact that the country was planning to transit from the emergence phase to long term development phase. The evaluation then pointed at among other things the need to provide vocational training to young people and other members of the community that did not have the opportunity to continue with education and to provide them with means to access employment opportunities. In 2012, the idea was concretized with seed funding from the Norwegian Embassy to support the construction of classrooms, administration block, workshops, work tools and training of teachers. The institution having acquired a fully trained manpower, equipment, and tools as well as the infrastructure, opened its doors to the first students in September 2013. The institution is classified as a vocational school and is registered with the Ministry of Education.

Within the short time of its existence, Prof Adow TVET Center has established a solid reputation as a promising institution of excellence and quality. The local community, local authorities, diaspora and development partners hold it in high esteem and value its services.Since its official opening, the Institution has had an intake of new students every year and has to date graduated over 1,000 students and over eighty percent (80%) are estimated to be in gainful employment.

 

Vocational Training

The school offers training within the following areas:

• Automotive repairing
• ICT, accounting and office training
• Electrical and renewable energy
• Plumbing and Pipefitting
• Masonry
• Mechanical and Welding
• Carpentry and Joinery

 

Gender Equality

Since the beginning it has been important to give women the possibility to enter into any course in the school, including in historically male dominated areas. The numbers speak from themselves: from 5 women out of 64 men in the first year of graduation (2015), to 137 enrolled women in 2019 versus 183 men.

We are very proud and happy that women have been giving the opportunity to educate themselves in any area they want.

 

Upgrade to becoming the first TVET+ Service Hub

Prof. Adow training centre has a reputation for its quality education and training and is one of the few training centres that have managed to sustainably operate since it was  founded in 2013. Therefore, its model will be built on and expanded, to become the first full TVET+ Center with integrated business hub and it is projected to be fully working by 2022.

The approach is bottom-up or step-by step. It builds on the existing Prof. Adow Training Centre, which will first be expanded physically and content-wise and more formalized with regard to company-relations, upgrading and training of its teaching staff etc. Within the second year, the establishment of a second hub in Jowhar will be initiated and within the third year the third hub in Baidoa will be initiated.

In addition to technical training, the hubs will offer ABE/foundational skills and life skills as per need, entrepreneurship training, a business incubator and socio-cultural activities. The hubs are well embedded in the local community and have close relationships and exchange with the business community. A key element of the concept is to develop a “business model” for the hubs that allow generating income, yet without crowding out the private sector. More about these activities can be found in the "+Work" menu section.

For more information about the ongoing operations at Prof Adow TVET center, see: https://profadowtvet.org/