Huambo – The Higher Institute of Educational Sciences (ISCED-Huambo) made available on Monday, in the province of Huambo, the first 54 graduates in the teaching of Agricultural Production, Agrarian Management and Food Technology to in the job market, ANGOP has learned.
The training took place in collaboration with the José Eduardo dos Santos University (UJES), within the scope of the project linked to the Revitalization of Technical Education and Professional Training in Angola (RETFOP), financed by the European Union.
There are 21 graduates in teaching Agricultural Management, 17 in Agricultural Production and 16 in Food Technology, whose classes were held in various institutions, namely at ISCED, at the Higher Polytechnic Institute and at the faculties of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.
The trainees also received theoretical classes at the Agricultural Technical Institute (ITA-Huambo) and practical classes on farms management in the provinces of Cuanza-Sul and Huambo.
The nationwide courses started in 2020, under the management of Camões - Institute of Cooperation and Portuguese Language, in partnership with the French international technical cooperation agency called Expertise France, serving to train teachers for secondary polytechnic institutes in Angola.
The rector of UJES, Virgínia Maria Abrunhosa Lacerda Quartin, said it was a historic moment for the university and for ISCED, as they made 54 teachers with a degree in technical education available to the job market and contributed to the acquisition of skills suited to current and future needs of the country's economy.
She praised the European Union (EU) and its partners for their continued commitment to the development of Angolan human capital, through financing academic projects, economic diversification and much more.
In turn, the chairman of ISCED-Huambo, Alfredo de Jesus Maria Paulo, said that the training aims to contribute to reducing unemployment, especially among young people, through the provision of more qualified human capital, which facilitates the transition to the job market.
He highlighted that ISCED gave the pedagogical focus to trainees in the referenced areas, with 14 teachers, while UJES contributed to the technical part with 38 teachers, during the training, which began in March 2020.
According to him, it is expected that the graduates will revolutionize technical and professional education and make a difference in the way they think and act in the market by putting into practice what they learned during training.
Speaking at the ceremony through an online platform, the general coordinator of RETFOP, Alexandre Rosa, considered that it was a successful experience, taking into account the connection that was made for the first time in Angola, of two different higher education institutions, for each of them to provide training with different skills and knowledge.
He informed that the same edition of the RETFOP training was held in the province of Luanda, at the Faculty of Engineering of the Agostinho Neto University, in partnership with ISCED - Luanda, where 380 students attended classes.
The official informed that the process which began in general, with 440 students, concluded with 316 graduates, who are prepared to teach in technical and professional education, especially in the technical, technological and practical components of teaching in Angola.
The European Union project manager, Ms. Alba Valle, also speaking through an online platform, reiterated that the institution is committed to contributing to economic diversification and the creation of jobs in Angola, through the reinforcement of technical and professional training and higher education, from graduation and postgraduate studies.
Alba Valle informed that the RETFOP project ends this month and a new action to support technical and professional education, with financing of 43 million Euros, is being prepared to start in 2026, as part of the strategy that supports the Lobito Corridor, with the aim to boost economic diversification.
Meanwhile, in August this year, within the scope of RETFOP, ISCED-Huambo trained 10 graduates in the area of Pedagogical Aggregation in Computing and Administration in Services.
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