Technical and Vocational Education and Training Support Program 2023

Deadline: 10-Aug-23

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi is pleased to announce an open competition for the Georgian TVET Institutions to submit applications to the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Support Program 2023.

Georgia’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reforms are aimed at supporting socio-economic development, poverty reduction, and developing human capital to meet the needs of the labor market. Thus far, reform has primarily focused on identifying labor force needs and reducing the mismatch between supply and demand, to reduce overall unemployment and increase the employment rates of TVET graduates. Self-employment (mainly underemployment in subsistence agriculture) and high urban unemployment remain major economic challenges.

Vocational counselling and career planning services are an essential element in the country’s education and training system. Although some reforms have been started towards this direction, still counselling and guidance remain at a basic level, mainly due to insufficient staffing. As a result, students in primary and secondary education, young people and parents making important life decisions do not always have enough information on the available educational and occupational choices and they often have to make uninformed decisions.

Objectives

The objectives of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Support Program 2023 are the following:
- Developing systematic vocational counselling and career guidance from school to higher education level for all learners, jobseekers, and alumni, for better informed career decisions and higher access to labor market.
- Mainstreaming gender in TVET–integrating gender perspective in all policy planning, implementation, and evaluation activities at all levels.
- Increasing the participation of female students in formerly male-dominated TVET programs and promoting formerly non traditional TVET programs to both, female and male students to overcome discriminatory cultural norms and community practices so that women and men benefit equally from the same opportunities.
- Strengthening the capacity of TVET providers to overcome gender disparity in student recruitment and retention.
The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi will accept projects proposed and managed by Georgian TVET institutions that support the above listed objectives.