KIGALI, Rwanda – Young people graduating from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions continue to face significant barriers when transitioning into employment, with limited work experience, inaccessible professional networks and exploitative internships among the challenges preventing them from securing decent jobs.
The issue was highlighted by Engineer Alice Uwizera during a Dialogue on Decent Work organized by the Salesians of Don Bosco with the Support of Don Bosco Tech Africa, a Coordinating Body of the Salesian TVET centres in Africa and Madagascar.
Uwizera challenged young graduates and other stakeholders to rethink the relationship between vocational qualifications and employment, emphasizing that completing training does not automatically guarantee access to the labour market.
She urged young people to understand what employers expect while calling on institutions, businesses and government to create practical pathways that enable graduates to apply their skills.
The first-job experience paradox
According to Uwizera, young people face five major barriers when searching for their first jobs after completing TVET training: limited work experience, inadequate information about vacancies, difficulties accessing professional networks, insufficient entry-level opportunities and other challenges identified by young people themselves.
One of the most persistent problems is what she described as the experience paradox.
Many employers require applicants to have previous work experience, yet fresh graduates cannot acquire that experience without first being given an opportunity to work.
The discussion also exposed concerns surrounding internship opportunities, which are often considered an important entry point into employment.
Some young people struggle to secure internships despite actively seeking practical experience. Others find themselves in arrangements where they perform productive work without payment while being promised potential employment that never materializes.
Participants also raised concerns about employers who lack confidence in fresh graduates, sometimes assuming they are incapable of performing workplace responsibilities before giving them an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.
Employers call for the right attitude and willingness to learn
The discussion also examined challenges from the employers’ perspective.
One internship supervisor observed that some students arrive at workplaces believing they already possess sufficient knowledge, only for gaps in their practical competencies to emerge during supervision.
According to the supervisor, difficulties sometimes arise when workplace guidance is interpreted as opposition rather than an opportunity to improve.
Responding to these concerns, Uwizera emphasized the importance of mutual understanding between employers and young graduates.
She encouraged TVET learners to remain humble, receptive to professional guidance and willing to learn from experienced workers.
Workplace learning, she explained, is an important pathway through which graduates can strengthen their competencies and prepare themselves for decent and productive employment.
Who is responsible for changing the situation?
Moving beyond identifying the challenges, Uwizera presented a framework outlining the responsibilities of four key stakeholder groups.
Young people were encouraged to continuously develop their skills, seek professional guidance, build networks and pursue opportunities to gain experience while maintaining an open attitude towards learning.
TVET institutions were urged to strengthen career guidance, ensure that training responds to actual labour market needs and follow up on graduates after they leave school.
Graduate tracking was particularly emphasized as an important tool for understanding whether training programmes are translating into employment.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of monitoring employment outcomes for women and girls, who may complete vocational training but encounter additional barriers when attempting to enter the labour market.
Employers were called upon to expand access to internships, apprenticeships, mentorship and entry-level employment opportunities that provide meaningful practical experience.
Uwizera stressed that internship assignments must correspond to students’ technical qualifications.
For example, a student undertaking technical training should be given opportunities to practise relevant technical skills rather than being assigned unrelated duties such as cleaning.
Government and development partners were encouraged to improve coordination, expand access to employment opportunities and strengthen programmes that support young people’s transition from training into work.
Calls for quality internships rather than exploitation
The quality of internship programmes emerged as a central concern during the session.
Participants emphasized that internships should provide structured learning opportunities rather than become a source of unpaid labour.
Uwizera’s message underscored the importance of internship programmes that include clear learning plans, mentorship, supervision and practical assignments relevant to the trainee’s qualifications.
The discussion further highlighted the need for TVET institutions and other stakeholders to monitor internship outcomes, including whether placements are paid, whether the assignments are relevant to students’ training and whether they contribute to access to decent employment.
Such monitoring could help identify gaps between vocational training and workplace expectations while ensuring that internships serve their intended purpose.
Graduation is the beginning, not the destination
In her closing remarks, Uwizera challenged stakeholders to reconsider how success in vocational education is measured.
She argued that graduation should not be treated as the final achievement of a TVET programme when graduates still lack opportunities to apply their knowledge and secure employment.
“TVET graduation should be the beginning of an employment journey. Young people need opportunities to apply their skills, gain experience, build networks and access fair and decent work,” she said.
She thanked participants for their contributions and called on each stakeholder group to commit to at least one practical action that could help young people move from vocational training into meaningful employment.
Her message reinforced a central concern emerging from the Social Dialogue on Decent and Productive Work: Rwanda’s investment in skills development must be matched by stronger opportunities for young people to gain experience, demonstrate their abilities and build sustainable careers.
