Employers' perceptions regarding the quality of technical education and training in Southern Africa : a case of the Botswana Technical Education Programme

Abstract

Providing quality Technical education and training has for a long time been an area of concern for most African countries, given the fact that every year governments allocate huge part of national budget to this sector. The study sought to determine the perceptions of employers regarding the quality of the Botswana Technical Education Programme (BTEP) graduates in terms of three main attributes, namely: survival, technical and employability skills. The main participants for the study were drawn from employers of BTEP graduates. Altogether 62 employers participated in the survey. The study found that although 50.7 % of employers rated survival and practical skills of the BTEP graduates as high, a much greater percentage (60 %) of them rated the level of occupational and employability skills as average. The study also found that while outcomes-based BTEP programme provides relatively high level of survival and practical skills, the level of most work related skills are still below the employers' expectation.