Trades, apprenticeships and the road to a first paid job

Vocational training is where skills turn into income. Carpentry, tailoring, hairdressing, welding, mechanics, catering, electrical work, phone repair, farming. Most of it happens in small workshops and informal apprenticeships rather than large institutes, and that’s where a lot of our reporting goes.

We ask practical questions. How long is the training, and who pays for tools at the end? Is there a recognised certificate, and do local employers care about it? Does the apprentice earn anything while learning? What happens to the graduate who has a skill but no start-up kit, no workspace and no customers yet?

We also cover the link between trades and small business: savings groups, simple bookkeeping, pricing and finding the first customers. Programs that stop at the certificate often leave young people stuck, so we pay attention to what comes after. The headlines below come from Asante Africa Foundation, which runs youth skills and entrepreneurship work in East Africa.