PROJECT DURATION
2022 - 2027
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
DR Congo
SECTOR
Heavy-Duty Industrial Equipment and Commercial Vehicles
About
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a resource-rich country, with the mining sector driving much of its economic growth. However, conflict, political instability, poor governance, and a lack of job opportunities have left much of the population in extreme poverty. The heavy-duty industrial equipment and commercial vehicle (HDIECV) sector is a key part of the mining industry and has the potential to provide high-quality employment for young people. However, skills mismatch and poor coordination between public and private stakeholders have limited the number of technical and well-paid positions held by Congolese workers.
Project
Phase 1: Between January 2020 and May 2022, UNIDO implemented a project using the Market System Development (MSD) approach to assess the relevance of a Public Private Development Partnership (PPDP) project aimed at improving youth employability and addressing skills mismatches in the HDIECV sector in the DRC. The project designed a partnership between the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), Volvo Group, Epiroc and UNIDO, which included activities such as a market analysis, labour and training needs assessment, and designing a project document that was validated by project stakeholders. For more information about the design phase, visit UNIDO’s Open Data platform.
Phase 2: In June 2022, the Governments of the DRC and Sweden, Volvo Group, Epiroc, and UNIDO joined forces in a PPDP aimed at improving Congolese youth’s access to skilled labour opportunities in the HDIECV sector. The project applies an MSD approach to facilitate systemic change in private sector engagement in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) governance and delivery. The project will support two vocational training centres with upgraded facilities, training equipment, and modernised curricula so they become Centres of Excellence (CoE) in the TVET system. Around 600 youth aged 15-35 years will be trained in the Haut-Katanga and the Lualaba provinces, with 10% of the trainees expected to be female. Graduates will be supported by career services to find employment. The CoEs will pilot innovations and showcase how PPDPs can support demand-driven industrial skills training and boost youth employment. The project will contribute to the government’s efforts to reform TVET by encouraging public-private collective action to ensure project innovations are replicated in other schools, trades, and regions. For more information, visit UNIDO’s Open Data platform.
BENEFICIARIES
• 600 youth (aged 15-35), 10% of whom are female
• 2 vocational training centres
• DRC TVET system
• Private business operating in HDIECV sector
PROGRAMME PARTNERS
- UNIDO
- Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Government of Sweden
- Volvo Group
- Epiroc