Which organisations can provide continuing education and upskilling in Comoros?

Possible providers include public and private vocational centres, companies, associations, adult-education centres, UDC Site Universitaire de Formation Permanente, ISFR and project-based programmes such as IFADEM or IFEF. Their offers and responsibilities vary by island, so the current programme should be confirmed directly with the provider or responsible authority.

Can an informal apprentice obtain recognition of prior learning through upskilling in Comoros?

The legal framework intends to provide pathways through equivalence, certification or validation of prior learning. The operational procedure and responsible structure are not confirmed, so an informal apprentice should verify the available pathway before relying on work experience for admission or certification.

What documents and information should a private upskilling provider submit for approval in Comoros?

The approval application should cover qualified staff, the training programme, timetable, selection method, participant numbers, costs and employment prospects. Private full-time profit-making courses require ministerial approval through the Council of Ministers and remain subject to labour-authority supervision after approval.

What can happen if a participant abandons an approved vocational training stage without justification in Comoros?

An unjustified withdrawal can create a repayment risk under the applicable training arrangement. The participant should check the contract, the rules on work-contract suspension and the applicable accident protection before starting the stage.

Upskilling in Comoros

Upskilling in Comoros is provided through a fragmented mix of vocational training, professional refresher courses, adult education, workplace training, and community or NGO projects. Public, private, company-based and association providers may offer different access conditions, costs, schedules and certificates. The system is expanding, but no single national portal currently provides a complete course market or calendar.

Tip

Choose the provider by the result you need: a recognised vocational certificate, job-specific workplace skills, or basic and community-based learning. Confirm the provider, island-specific availability, approval status, total cost, schedule and certificate in writing before committing time or money. Treat recognition of informal experience and scholarship access as possibilities to verify, not as guaranteed outcomes.

byMaimouna&Youssouf

Local terms include formation professionnelle, cours de perfectionnement professionnel, formation permanente, recyclage, formation des adultes and validation des acquis. These describe different ways to update skills, deepen occupational knowledge, gain a new competence or recognise experience. Language learning is relevant only when it forms part of an adult-education or vocational pathway; language study by itself belongs to a separate subject area. The Ministry of National Education, Teaching, Research and Arts has responsibilities in the education system. The employment authorities have responsibilities under the vocational-training framework. The law provides for an Institut National de Formation Professionnelle (INFP) and three island commissions for Ngazidja, Ndzuani and Mwali. Other functional providers include the UDC Site Universitaire de Formation Permanente, the Institut Supérieur de Formation et de Recherche (ISFR), private institutions, companies, associations and project-based programmes. Their current offers differ by island and provider. Vocational training can generally be entered from age 17 and is not intended to run in parallel with a cycle of the Ministry of Education. Admission can include selection and career guidance. Informal apprentices are legally intended to gain access to equivalence, certification or validation of prior learning, but the operational rules and structures for this pathway are not confirmed. Applicants should therefore verify the current procedure with the responsible provider or authority rather than assume that work experience automatically produces a certificate. Training may take place through stages, public or private centres, company programmes and accelerated courses. The duration of a stage is set according to the applicable decree or programme. Private full-time, profit-making courses require ministerial approval through the Council of Ministers. An approval application is expected to state the staff qualifications, programme, timetable, selection method, participant numbers, costs and employment prospects. Approved providers remain subject to continuing labour-authority supervision. The INFP framework is intended to serve young people and adults across economic sectors and job levels, including accelerated training for unemployed or underemployed people and cooperation abroad when a needed offer is unavailable locally. A participant who completes a stage may take an end-of-stage examination and receive a Certificat de fin de stage or a Certificat de Formation Professionnelle, depending on the programme. A work contract may be suspended during the stage, while occupational-accident protection is addressed by the applicable rules. If the employer continues its contribution during the suspension, the centre may contribute for participants who are not employed, on a basis linked to the minimum wage. An unjustified withdrawal can create a repayment risk, so the contract and provider rules should be checked before enrolment. Non-formal options include adult-education centres, literacy programmes, écoles coraniques, language-promotion centres and local, cultural or associative structures. The Ministry determines access, content and certification requirements through ministerial orders. Functional literacy is a national priority and can be combined with vocational or livelihood skills. Financing may come from state grants, private donations, provider income and employer contributions. The legal framework sets the INFP contribution at 2% of total payroll, and scholarships for professionals are legally possible, but current participant fees, scholarship criteria and course calendars are not published in one verified national source. Participation in formal or non-formal education and training among people aged 25 to 64 was recorded at 4.1% in 2014 and 3.3% in 2020 in UNESCO UIS data. No values for 2021 to 2024 or current ICT-skill data were available in the research, and island-level differences are likely. IFADEM and IFEF, supported by AFD and PGEC, provide an example of continuing teacher development and pedagogical support, including eleven school projects in Anjouan. Regular CAP, BEP and technical baccalaureate programmes, initial vocational training and ordinary UDC degree or master programmes belong to initial education or tertiary study rather than this upskilling scope.