Building competence for the Tanzanian forestry sector

Competence-based vocational education and training with other types of short term worker-level training are essential for any sector to grow and develop. This is particularly true in the developing countries, where worker-level training has been largely neglected. In Tanzanian many forestry and wood processing companies and employers face major difficulties in finding trained, competent and skilled employees. Employers’ concern is that too often graduates have only theoretical knowledge, but they do not have skills and experiences needed in real working situations.

Critical to Tanzania’s forestry and forest industry expansion is skilled labour force. Currently labour force and workers in forestry sector are largely trained on job. Often this is done by trainers who are under-trained themselves. In the absence of formal vocational education and training (VET), skills and capacity of workers are still limited. To improve the situation there is a need to have comprehensive training programmes, especially short courses training. Way forward is to establish a skills development training centre that trains workers for their skills necessary on their jobs. These workers then returning to their work places can transfer new skills also to other workers of the company.

The Forestry and Wood Industries Training Centre (FWITC) was established by the Private Forestry Programme (PFP) in 2016 to answer to the need for comprehensive and appropriate practical forestry and wood technology short courses close to the heart of the industry in the Southern Highlands. The centre is equipped with key sawmilling and forestry equipment and tools. Staffing includes personnel specialized in sawmilling and harvesting operations and management.

FWITC is located in Mafinga town, Mufindi district, about 75 km from Iringa. The centre is strategically well located and easily accessible to all forestry and wood industry companies operating in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania.