Tanzania is set to significantly expand access to vocational education and training after the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) completed construction of 65 new colleges that are expected to begin operations in January 2027.
The expansion will add 64 district-level colleges and one regional college in Songwe, raising VETA’s capacity to admit up to 130,892 new students in 2027.
VETA Director General CPA Anthony Kasore said the new institutions are part of efforts to bring vocational training closer to communities and ensure that every district has access to at least one VETA college.
Speaking to journalists in Dodoma, Mr Kasore said the expansion was not simply about increasing the number of graduates, but about producing technicians with skills that respond to labour market needs.
“The opportunities are there; what is needed is skills,” he said.
VETA’s expansion comes as demand for skilled workers grows across sectors including agriculture and agro-processing, construction, mining, energy, information and communication technology (ICT), transport and logistics, manufacturing and the blue economy.
Mr Kasore said rising investment, industrial activity, construction, mining, tourism, modern agriculture and technological adoption were creating new demand for technicians.
“Tanzania of industries needs technicians; Tanzania of mining needs technicians; Tanzania of ICT needs technicians; Tanzania of modern agriculture needs technicians; Tanzania of construction needs technicians,” he said.
The authority’s enrolment has already increased significantly, rising from 69,347 students in 2022/23 to 116,468 in 2025/26.
Mr Kasore attributed much of the increase to the establishment and operationalisation of 33 new regional and district colleges during the period.
Once the 65 new colleges are completed, VETA will have more than 145 colleges nationwide, including facilities handed over by some local government authorities for use as vocational training institutions.
The authority is also investing in equipment and curricula to improve the quality and relevance of training.
Mr Kasore said VETA purchased teaching and learning equipment worth about Sh9.596 billion in 2024/25 and additional equipment valued at Sh3.4 billion in 2025/26.
The authority has developed 29 new curricula, reviewed 91 and improved 13 others to reflect labour market requirements, technological changes, dual apprenticeship training and emerging needs in the mining sector.
VETA is also seeking to formalise the skills of artisans who acquired their expertise outside formal training institutions through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme.
Under the Mama Samia Skills Recognition and Formalisation Programme, 18,008 artisans have so far had their skills formally recognised.
Meanwhile, 600 employees from 16 companies benefited from the Skills Enhancement Programme (SEP), while 4,465 entrepreneurs received training through the INTEP programme during the period under review.
VETA is also preparing to deepen the use of digital technology in vocational training through the Education and Skills for Productive Jobs Phase II (ESPJ II) programme.
The initiative includes establishing a National Digital Vocational Training Platform and developing 50 online training modules.
Mr Kasore said 8,333 students would be trained to use the digital learning system, while 250 trainers and students would receive capacity-building support on developing and delivering training through digital platforms.
The authority has also selected 15 colleges as Centres of Excellence in specialised fields such as transport and logistics, welding and metal fabrication, hospitality, ICT, agriculture and livestock.
In the mining industry, VETA has developed six underground mining curricula in collaboration with the Tanzania Chamber of Mines.
The programmes are intended to produce technicians capable of operating different types of mining equipment as Tanzania seeks to expand mineral production and value addition.
Through the Critical Minerals Project, about 400 young people are expected to receive training in mining, mineral processing and mineral value-chain development.
Mr Kasore said the initiatives would contribute to the implementation of Tanzania Development Vision 2050, under which VETA aims to produce about 5.64 million skilled graduates by 2050.
He said the authority's focus was on ensuring that the entire vocational training chain works effectively from enrolment and training to competence, employment or self-employment, productivity and production.
Mr Kasore also called for a change in public attitudes towards vocational education, saying technical training should not be viewed as an alternative for students who fail to pursue other forms of education.
He said Tanzania's ambitions for industrialisation, mining, ICT, modern agriculture and construction would require millions of people with practical and technical skills.
“The Tanzania we want to build needs technicians,” he said.