By Nelile Nxumalo (INTERN)
MANZINI – Questions around the effectiveness of youth skills programmes, who benefits, and how outcomes are measured took centre stage on March 24, 2026 when a delegation from GFA Consulting Group visited Gwamile Vocational and Commercial Training Institute. The visit assessed training delivery, institutional capacity and alignment with labour market needs.
The engagement formed part of the Skills for Youth Employability, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme (S4YEEE), an initiative funded by the European Union to support young people with technical and entrepreneurial skills. It comes at a time when Eswatini continues to face high youth unemployment, with recent estimates placing the rate above 50 per cent.
The delegation met trainers and management, toured workshops, and reviewed courses offered at the institution, including welding, carpentry and business-related training. Discussions focused on how these programmes respond to industry demands and how graduates transition into employment or self-employment.
However, key details on programme impact remain unclear. No official data was provided on graduate employment rates, business start-ups supported, or the number of beneficiaries reached under skills for youth employability, entrepreneurship and empowerment Programme S4YEEE at institutional level. This raises questions about how success is measured and reported.
Education experts note that while vocational training is widely seen as a practical solution to unemployment, its effectiveness depends on updated equipment, qualified trainers and strong partnerships with industry to provide internships and job placements. Without these, trainees may struggle to convert skills into income.
The visit also highlighted ongoing challenges faced by training institutions, including resource constraints and the need to modernise curricula in line with evolving market needs, particularly in technical and digital sectors.
Efforts to obtain detailed comment from programme implementers on funding levels, timelines and performance indicators were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
The GFA visit is part of ongoing monitoring of the programme, with further engagements expected as stakeholders review progress and gaps in youth skills development.
#Eswatini #YouthEmployment #SkillsDevelopment #S4YEEE #EU
