TECIP

Teacher Educators in Higher Education as Catalysts for Inclusive Practices in Technical and Vocational Education (TECIP) is a capacity building project between JAMK University of Applied Sciences, Finland, the Federal Technical Vocational Education and Training Institute (FTI), Ethiopia, Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia, and University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The project is based on the long-term collaboration between the participating higher education institutions (HEIs), including the ‘African-Finnish Network for Inclusive Teacher Education’ (AFNITE) project (2013-2015) that has strengthened the collaboration in special needs education and inclusive education between the partners.

At present in Ethiopia, there is a favorable policy environment for developing post-secondary Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) towards inclusion. However, concrete actions are still almost non-existent. Teachers have a key role in making the reforms come into fruition, and therefore the development of TVET teacher education is the prime objective for ensuring that people with special constraints can properly engage in economic participation in line with the national strategies.

The mission of the TECIP project is to equip Higher Education TVET teacher training providers on national, regional and local levels with necessary skills and knowledge on inclusive practices in TVET to support national development efforts towards inclusive TVET education in Ethiopia. The project will contribute to the HEI ICI programme’s Result area 2: Improved quality of higher education and research environment.

As an outcome of the project, FTI is developing its educational structures in terms of inclusion in TVET and has curricula on inclusive education and related modules for pre- and in-service TVET teacher programmes. As the modules developed in the project are part of the curricula, the results sustain and reach a new generation of teachers. Additionally, a new in-service training model is being developed for FTI and piloted in the course of the project. The geographic scope involves all regions in Ethiopia via the in-service training model.
 

Key Results to be Achieved

1. Two new curricula and three training modules prepared (one for BA and one for MA pre-service training and one for in‐service), which are integrated in the Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Inclusive Education course

2. Five regional events conducted and knowledge on inclusion delivered to 150 people at federal, regional and local levels on inclusive education in TVET

3. 15 teacher trainers of FTI trained on inclusion and professional development plans prepared for them, including an awareness raising event for the whole FTI staff (N=100)

4. In‐service training model developed for FTI, which consists of the Training of Trainers programme for 100 TVET teachers, and practice in delivering knowledge on inclusive practices for 1000 TVET teachers in different regions.