Upskilling in South Sudan

South Sudan has no single institution covering all continuing education. Adult education and Lifelong Learning are delivered through the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, its Alternative Education Systems Directorate, state education ministries, county, payam and boma structures, community organizations, NGOs, faith-based organizations and development partners. The Labour Ministry's Directorate of Vocational Training and Skills Development coordinates vocational pathways with vocational training centres, employers and private providers. Basic Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning Programs support adults and young people aged 18 or older who have limited or no literacy or numeracy. Functional Adult Literacy Programs develop reading, writing and numeracy for daily, social and economic activities. Alternative Education Systems can use fixed or mobile learning spaces, radio and community-led delivery. Community Learning Centres may also provide adult access, non-formal education and teacher in-service learning. Technical and vocational education and training, commonly called TVET, develops practical occupational skills. Available formats include short modules, full-time or part-time study, work-based learning, internships, industrial attachments, apprenticeships, employer training and mobile courses. Common fields include construction, mechanics, electrical and solar work, tailoring, agriculture, food and hospitality, hair and beauty, business and information and communications technology. Informal apprenticeships can receive upgrading through centre-based or workplace training. Short courses generally have no entry requirement, although a provider may set an entry test. Policy-based two-year programs usually require Primary 8 or an equivalent level. Foundation training can last less than one year, Intermediate training about one year, Level I two years and Level II three years, including two years of training followed by one year of on-the-job training or apprenticeship. Literacy program duration varies by centre and provider; an older Basic Adult Literacy Program design used four years, but no current national single duration is established. Vocational training uses four national trade-certificate levels: Foundation, Intermediate, Level I and Level II. The National Training and Examination Board conducts trade tests, while the National Vocational Qualifications Framework and national training standards are intended to improve equivalence between programs. Recognition of Prior Learning, or RPL, and trade tests can assess skills gained outside a training centre. Provider-issued certificates are not uniformly transparent, so their equivalence should be confirmed with the provider or relevant authority. The Technical and Vocational Training Advisory Council, known as TACA, is the policy body through which vocational providers are expected to obtain registration or accreditation. The National Industrial Training Council and other bodies contribute to the policy architecture, while state authorities implement and monitor programs. Employers have duties under the Labour Act to provide reasonable opportunities for performance improvement, including information, instruction, training and supervision; regular occupational safety and health training also applies. Policy provides for occupational safety and health measures and insurance during on-the-job training, but implementation can vary. Basic adult education established by the government is free for citizens under the General Education Act 2012. Other costs are not uniform. Vocational programs may be financed through government subsidies, donor support, trainee fees, private-sector partnerships, training levies or income generated by a vocational centre. No single current national fee or scholarship list, or central online intake system, is established. Start dates, places and fees therefore depend on the provider, state, partner funding and security situation. Access policies include women, people with disabilities, internally displaced people, returnees, pastoralist and remote populations, entrepreneurs, unemployed or under-employed adults and informal apprentices. In practice, conflict, displacement, poverty, mobility and limited infrastructure affect whether a course is available and reachable. A 2023 adult education report recorded 78,631 learners across 583 reached centres, of which 429 were operational, and reported an 18 percent increase from 2022. The same reporting noted 1,030 Functional Adult Literacy learners, while other program data exceeded 26,000, so the figures have a documented coverage and data-quality limitation. A 2023 TVET count recorded 2,426 learners, including 1,052 in formal and 1,374 in informal training, with 1,218 women and 1,208 men.