TVET Responses to the Green Economy in South Africa and Zimbabwe

Imagine a world where the machines we build, the buildings we live in, and the energy we use are designed to heal the planet rather than harm it. This vision is called the green economy, a shift away from burning fossil fuels and wasting resources toward using renewable energy and creating sustainable systems. For this shift to happen, a new kind of worker is needed: someone who understands how to install solar panels, maintain wind turbines, and design buildings that conserve heat. These workers are trained in technical colleges, institutions dedicated to teaching practical skills for specific trades. The question facing nations today is whether these colleges are actually preparing their students for this green future, or if they are still teaching old methods that no longer fit a changing world.

Researchers from the Central University of Technology set out to answer this question by looking at two neighboring countries, South Africa and Zimbabwe. They wanted to see how the technical colleges in both nations were handling the transition to a green economy. The team focused on engineering students and the teachers who instruct them, asking a simple but critical question: Are these institutions teaching the skills needed to fix the environment, or are they stuck in the past? To find the answer, the researchers visited six different colleges, three in each country. They spoke with college principals, department heads, and engineering lecturers, and they held group discussions with third-year engineering students. The goal was to understand the real, lived experience of learning and teaching in these classrooms and workshops.

What the researchers found was a system that is struggling to keep up. In both countries, the colleges are in the very early stages of trying to become "green," but significant barriers are slowing them down. The most immediate problem is the teachers themselves. Many of the lecturers who teach engineering do not have up-to-date knowledge about sustainability or green technology. Some admitted that the concept of a green economy is new to them, and they feel unprepared to teach it. In one instance, a lecturer from Zimbabwe noted that the green economy was a new development and that they needed to update their own skills before they could pass that knowledge on to students. While the situation was slightly better in South Africa, where a few more lecturers had some familiarity with green technology, the overall picture showed a shortage of experts who could guide students through this new landscape.

The curriculum, or the official list of what students are supposed to learn, is another major hurdle. The researchers discovered that the courses being taught in these colleges are often outdated. The syllabi, which are the blueprints for the classes, were designed for a different era of industry and do not include the new skills required for a green economy. In Zimbabwe, the researchers found that the colleges interact with industries to place students for practical work, but this connection does not lead to changes in what is taught in the classroom. The curriculum remains controlled by a central government unit that is slow to adapt. In South Africa, the situation is similar; despite some initiatives like the "Green Colleges" program, the study noted that no specific attention is given to the development of green skills in the broader national strategy, and the main engineering courses still rely on old materials. This means that students are learning about technologies that are being phased out, rather than the sustainable tools that the future workforce will need.

Even the way teachers instruct their students is not fully aligned with the needs of a green future. The study showed that the most common teaching method is still the traditional lecture, where a teacher stands at the front of the room and explains a concept while students listen. While some students found this helpful for understanding the basics, it does not give them the hands-on experience needed to solve complex environmental problems. The researchers noted that more effective methods, such as learning by doing real projects or solving problems in teams, were rarely used. When students did get to work in groups, it was often because there was not enough equipment for everyone to work individually. This lack of resources is a critical issue. In many of the workshops, the tools and machines are old, broken, or simply not capable of handling modern green technologies. One lecturer mentioned that they were still using equipment from fifteen years ago, which is obsolete and does not reflect the reality of modern green industries.

The students themselves are aware of this gap. When asked if they felt ready to work in a green industry, many expressed doubt. They pointed out that they had not been exposed to green skills during their training and that their teachers did not fully understand the green economy either. In Zimbabwe, students participate in work-integrated learning, where they spend time working in companies, but the researchers found that these companies are often not using green practices either. This creates a cycle where students learn outdated methods in college and then see the same outdated methods in the workplace. In South Africa, the connection between the colleges and the industries is even weaker, with little communication happening to ensure that what is taught matches what is needed.

The study concludes that while both South Africa and Zimbabwe have discussed the importance of a green economy, the actual implementation in technical colleges is lagging. In Zimbabwe, the lack of a single, unified policy on the green economy makes it difficult to align with international standards, while in South Africa, the approach has been fragmented and reactive. The systems are fragmented, with different government ministries managing different parts of the training without a unified plan. There is a lack of funding to buy new equipment, and there is no central system to track what green skills are actually needed by employers. Crucially, the study found that the concept of "greening" remains invisible in the engineering TVET curricula of both countries. The researchers suggest that for these colleges to succeed, they need a clear strategy that brings the industry and the schools together. This would allow them to design new courses that reflect the real demands of the green labor market. It also means that teachers need ongoing training to learn the new skills themselves, so they can effectively teach the next generation of engineers. Without these changes, the transition to a green economy will remain slow, and the workers needed to build a sustainable future will continue to be in short supply.