Building Resilience in TVET through E-Learning

Challenge

The COVID-19 pandemic school closures in Rwanda caused significant disruptions to face-to-face learning for youth, leading to disengagement, reduced interest and motivation, and potential risky behaviors. The situation was particularly challenging for vulnerable youth who were facing disruptions in income and food insecurity. The challenges faced by trainers in supporting students during internships and apprenticeships were also exacerbated in the post-lockdown context, making it difficult for them to provide adequate support and guidance to their students.

EDC partnered with Mastercard Foundation and Akazi Kanoze Access to implement Building Resilience in TVET through E-Learning (BRITE) in Rwanda between 2020 and 2022. BRITE aimed to support Rwanda’s commitment to technology integration in education by providing interactive e-learning materials for the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system, especially in response to pandemic school closures. The project worked with 28 TVET institutions, including all 8 Integrated Regional Polytechnic Colleges and 20 TVET schools.

Key Activities

Developed interactive materials for the TVET system that promote blended learning
Built the capacity of TVET institutions and trainers to integrate e-learning materials into their daily training and teaching approaches
Enhanced the learning and teaching experiences for students and trainers

Impact

Key activities on the project included:

In just two years, BRITE directly reached 4,289 TVET students (40% women and 60% men) and achieved the following:

Developed 144 e-learning materials for TVET, including 100 Work Ready Now audio episodes infused with transferable employability and entrepreneurship skills; 30 trade-based e-lessons in four trades (food processing, crop production, domestic electricity, and animal health); and 14 e-work-based learning lessons designed to better prepare students for their work placement
Trained 374 TVET trainers on blended learning in collaboration with Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) and the Rwanda TVET Board
Developed an e-lesson on sexual harassment prevention and response designed for secondary-level students in TVET and the wider educational system
In collaboration with RP through the Rwanda TVET Training Institute, trained 88 senior TVET trainers on blended learning, of which 83 were recommended for certification, which will ensure sustainability as these trainers go on to train more trainers across the country