ILO, Zanzibar Embed Entrepreneurship in TVET to Boost Youth Jobs

The new initiative seeks to close that gap by embedding structured entrepreneurship training directly into Zanzibar’s national TVET system.

A new partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Vocational Training Authority Zanzibar (VTA) is tackling one of Zanzibar’s most persistent employment challenges: helping young graduates turn technical skills into sustainable livelihoods.

Despite growing participation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), many young people struggle to secure work after graduation. While they possess technical proficiency, gaps in business planning, financial literacy and marketing skills often prevent them from launching or sustaining income-generating ventures.

The new initiative seeks to close that gap by embedding structured entrepreneurship training directly into Zanzibar’s national TVET system.

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Institutionalizing Entrepreneurship Across 55 Training Centres

Under the Zanzibar Joint Programme (ZJP), the ILO is supporting VTA to institutionalize the globally recognized Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) methodology across the TVET system.

Through a Training of Trainers (ToT) programme, VTA instructors, cooperative representatives and labour officials are being equipped with internationally standardized entrepreneurship tools.

These certified trainers will integrate structured entrepreneurship modules into:

• More than 20 occupational curricula

• Five public Vocational Training Centres (VTCs)

• 50 private VTCs across Zanzibar

By embedding SIYB within the system, the initiative creates a multiplier effect: trained instructors will continuously cascade entrepreneurship skills to new cohorts of learners, ensuring long-term institutional sustainability.

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Linking Training to Finance and Enterprise Support

Unlike stand-alone business workshops, the programme connects training directly to enterprise development pathways.

Graduates will be supported through:

• Cooperative formation mechanisms

• Access to a revolving loan fund

• Guidance on formalizing and scaling businesses

This integrated model is designed to improve business survival rates and strengthen local economic development by linking skills development with access to capital and structured support.

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Supporting National Job Creation Targets

The initiative aligns with the Government of Zanzibar’s employment strategy under President Hussein Ali Mwinyi, whose administration has set an ambitious target of creating 350,000 new jobs by 2030.

By strengthening entrepreneurship education and expanding sustainable self-employment pathways, the ILO–VTA partnership contributes directly to national job creation and youth empowerment goals.

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Building Resilient Local Economies

For Zanzibar’s growing youth population, employment remains one of the most pressing socio-economic priorities. Embedding entrepreneurship at the core of vocational education aims to shift the paradigm from certification to job creation.

The initiative promotes:

• Youth-led enterprise development

• Decent work and income stability

• Financial inclusion

• Stronger local value chains

By institutionalizing entrepreneurship training within the TVET framework, Zanzibar is laying the groundwork for a more resilient and inclusive labour market — where vocational education not only equips learners with skills, but enables them to build sustainable businesses and generate employment for others.