TVET key to unlocking city investment, job creation – study

TECHNICAL and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) must be repositioned from a mere education function into a strategic economic driver capable of attracting investment and spawning entrepreneurship, a new study has revealed.

Presenting his paper titled “TVET as a Catalyst for City-Level Investment and Entrepreneurship: A Skills and Innovation Perspective” at the Joint Bulawayo Polytechnic and Welwitchia University Innovation and Technology Conference held in

Victoria Falls recently, City of Bulawayo Economic Development Officer Mr Bukhosi Mpofu said Zimbabwe’s industrial hub cannot afford to treat vocational training as an afterthought.

“TVET should be formally recognised and treated as economic infrastructure, rather than as a standalone education function
“Skills systems integrated into local economic development frameworks significantly reduce investment risk and improve firm productivity,” Mr Mpofu said.

The study, which draws on global cases from Germany, Singapore, South Africa and Rwanda, warns that Bulawayo’s persistent skills mismatches and weak linkages between training institutions and industry continue to constrain urban development despite the city’s strategic industrial infrastructure.

Mr Mpofu said investors prioritise locations with reliable, skilled labour capable of supporting production efficiency and technology adoption.

“For Bulawayo, embedding TVET institutions within municipal investment promotion and industrial development strategies would strengthen coherence between skills supply and investor demand,” he said.

The paper makes several key recommendations for policymakers, the local authority, and industry players.
For the City of Bulawayo, Mr Mpofu urged deliberate integration of TVET colleges into local economic development frameworks.

“The City of Bulawayo should position TVET institutions as strategic partners in investment promotion and industrial development. This can be achieved through structured partnerships with industry, support for TVET-based incubators, and the use of municipal procurement to support locally trained enterprises,” he said.

On curriculum reform, the study calls for systematic alignment with priority sectors including manufacturing, construction, renewable energy, and information communication technologies.

Mr Mpofu also stressed the need for investment in innovation infrastructure, upgrading workshops, digital laboratories, and fabrication spaces within TVET colleges.

“TVET institutions equipped with digital laboratories, fabrication spaces, and applied research units play a critical role as innovation intermediaries within local production systems,” he said.

On entrepreneurship, Mr Mpofu said training alone is insufficient without incubation support and market access.

“TVET-based incubation programmes in cities such as Singapore, Kigali, and Cape Town have demonstrated higher enterprise survival rates,” he said.