Apprenticeship in Eritrea

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Eritrea prepares people for specific occupations through practical and theoretical learning. The Ministry of Education and its Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (DTVET) oversee formal institutions, while employers, accredited providers, ministries, local administrations, NGOs, private organizations and parastatals provide additional pathways. Eritrea has no national qualifications framework, so qualifications remain regulated by sector and provider. Formal TVET follows three main levels. Basic programs accept primary or middle-school graduates, last 6 to 12 months and contain no more than 20% theory, with at least 80% practical training. Intermediate programs require completion of Grade 10, last 2 years and include 1 to 2 months of industrial training; about 30% to 40% is theory and 60% to 70% is practice. Advanced programs normally require senior-secondary completion and a passed Eritrean Secondary Education Leaving Certificate Examination (ESLCE), last 2 to 3 years and contain about 30% practice and 70% theory. Formal centers identified in consolidated 2018 data included Wina Technical School, Asmara Technical School, Mai-Habar Technical School, Halay Technical School, Don Bosco Technical School, Denden Commercial School, Hagaz Agro-Technical School, Music School and CeVoT/NACVOT in Sawa. Sawa had five schools offering areas such as Agricultural Technology, Commerce and Business Management, Building Technology and farm or building machinery. Academic subjects included English, mathematics, science, information and communication technology, entrepreneurship, geography and history. Recent school reports confirm active two-year certificate training: Asmara reported 136 graduates across six fields, Mai-Habar 143 graduates including 55 women, Dekemhare 144 graduates and Halay 44 graduates including 18 women. Reported fields include mechanics, construction, electricity, electronics, plumbing, woodwork, metalwork, computer maintenance and networking. Non-formal Skill Development Programs usually last 3 to 9 months and serve school leavers, unemployed people, employed workers and other groups. Accredited centers can issue recognized national certificates. Programs may be offered through the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Local Government, NGOs, private providers and parastatals. Functional alternatives include marine-resource training for artisanal fishers, the NCEW vocational centre in Massawa with six technical fields, SMAP in Asmara for computer, business and management training, and NUEYS, NUEW and local administrations offering weaving, embroidery, computer applications and income-generating skills. The Tourism Training Centre was reported closed in the 2018 information. In the Southern Region, 2026 programs reached more than 550 young people through 3- to 6-month courses in nine fields, including electrical line installation, solar systems, computer technology, beauty services and first aid. Workplace apprenticeship, learnership, dual training and on-the-job training operate alongside formal and non-formal programs. Labour Proclamation No. 118/2001 defines an apprentice as a person who provides services under a contract for vocational training. The contract must be written and state the training, duration and whether pocket money is provided. The apprentice's working conditions also follow the proclamation, applicable collective agreements and workplace rules. Pocket money is not automatic; it depends on the agreement. Employers must provide the agreed training, keep the apprentice within the agreed occupational field, give instruction, protect the apprentice from injury and safeguard health and moral well-being. Apprentices must follow the contract, obey instructions carefully and work toward successful completion. Termination follows legal rules or an established finding of incompetence. The proclamation does not state a specific minimum apprenticeship age; employment of children under 14 is prohibited, while people aged 14 to under 18 are treated as young employees, and the ILO has called for greater clarity. Formal access normally follows the required school qualification. Non-formal access depends on the target group, provider and available capacity. Workplace apprenticeship access and selection vary by employer or training provider, and no nationwide unified procedure for entry, selection or recognition has been documented. Places, instructors, equipment and infrastructure remain limited in some locations. Female participation was about 46% of TVET enrolment from 2012/13 to 2017/18, with differences between locations and programs. Publicly funded state provision exists, but there is no reliable national fee and scholarship table. Individual costs depend on the provider and program; NUEYS offerings were reported as free in 2023. Formal programs issue certificates or diplomas, and accredited 3- to 9-month skill programs can issue national certificates. An employer may issue a certificate for completed or prematurely ended apprenticeship training. These credentials do not provide a documented automatic progression pathway into tertiary education because Eritrea lacks a national qualifications framework. Completion can support employment, self-employment or continued work with the training employer, but no current audited national placement rate is available. The strongest documented demand concerns construction, mechanics, electricity and electronics, information and communication technology, agriculture, commerce, marine activities and solar systems. The latest consolidated system data are mainly from 2018; UIS reported that vocational education represented 3.3% of upper-secondary enrolment in 2018, including 3.2% female enrolment, while newer 2026 school reports confirm activity without providing a national total.