The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture has launched the Work Integrated Learning Policy.
The policy ensures that all students in higher education institutions, as well as technical and vocational training institutions, have access to meaningful work-based learning opportunities.
Speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare said learning through work is not a new concept, but a long-standing practice used to induct apprentices into various professions.
“For many years, workplace learning has been common in professions such as teaching, nursing, medicine, and social work. In recent years, practice-based education has become an integral part of technology course curricula, for example in former polytechnics in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, and it is gradually spreading into other fields of learning,” he said.
Dr Ngurare further stated that since independence, the government has consistently prioritised education and health, allocating a significant portion of the national budget to these sectors.
“The bank of humanity is not measured by how many qualifications we have; it is measured by our appreciation of one another, and even more so by our willingness to impart knowledge and skills to others who desire to have them.”
The Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Dino Ballotti, said the success of the policy rests on collective effort and shared responsibility.
“The effective implementation will depend on sustained collaboration among all stakeholders. We all have a role to play, and I want to emphasise that despite all the efforts that have brought us to this point, the real work begins now.”
The introduction of the Work Integrated Learning Policy signals a transformative shift in how learners are prepared for the realities of the modern workplace.
The Ministry’s Executive Director, Mbumba Haitengela, explained.
“It is a purposefully designed learning approach that integrates theoretical knowledge with authentic workplace practice, aimed at developing competence—the ability to apply knowledge and skills effectively in real-life situations.”