Pact’s Vocational Education Programme

This article was originally published here on United Nations University’s knowledge platform on modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and child labour. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University. The views expressed here are the sole responsibility of the author and they do not reflect the official views of the ILO.

Since 2015, Pact has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo to eliminate and address child labour in Artisanal Small-scale Mining (ASM), which is one of the worst forms of child labour. We use a multisectoral approach in collaboration with communities, administrative authorities, companies and child miners themselves. In this approach, we have facilitated the retrieval of 705 adolescent miners (15-18 years old) from mine sites in the DRC, providing them with vocational trainings in alternative trades.

The DRC is endowed with some of the largest mineral deposits in the world. The country produces about 60 per cent of the world’s cobalt and about 4 per cent of cassiterite. It is estimated that at least 20 per cent of cobalt and 8 per cent of cassiterite are produced by artisanal miners through manual labour and the use of rudimentary tools.

Our vocational education programme seeks to equip adolescent miners with skills and knowledge to prosper in a safe and economically viable trade. It uses a hybrid approach that incorporates the valuable technical supervision of local vocational education institutions while utilizing a hands-on, 6-month curriculum designed by local tradespeople and professionals. The roll-out of the vocational education programme follows a series of phases, as shown in Figure 1.

From adolescent miners to apprentices

Since 2017, Pact has enrolled 705 adolescent miners living in 16 ASM communities producing cassiterite and cobalt in its apprenticeship programme across 12 different trades. Out of those, 145 adolescents are currently being trained. They will graduate before the end of 2021.

Overall, 97 per cent of adolescent miners (589 total, including 332 girls and 257 boys) who finished the training graduated from the programme. Out of those who graduated, 96 per cent have left the mine and have not returned.  In 2020, over 95 per cent of former apprentices are working either independently, with their mentors or are otherwise employed. They earn between 50,000 Congolese Francs (equivalent to USD 25) and 500,000 Congolese Francs (equivalent to USD 250) per month. Their average income is equivalent to, and sometimes even higher than, the average income in the community.

Additionally, 98 per cent of them earn more than when they were working in the mines. Former apprentices save an average of USD 20-25 per month in various ways, including through Pact’s WORTH programme, placing money in a safe at home or using mobile money. These savings are used to develop a side business, reinvest for growth in their trade or to pay for their younger siblings’ school fees, among other things. 91 per cent of former apprentices state that their income is sufficient and 65 per cent are of the opinion that their income is more stable than when they worked in the mine. Additionally, many former apprentices have gone back to school part time and are financing their own education costs, as well as that of their siblings. Overall, graduated apprentices generate revenue, save and even support their families.

Why is the project so successful?

 

Second, Pact partners with local vocational education institutions in Kolwezi and the University of Malemba Nkulu which assign supervisors to the project. They make regular visits to ensure that the transfer of skills goes smoothly and to help mentors improve the quality of trainings in accordance with Pact’s child protection policy. The institutions also offer technical support (pedagogical advice and orientations) to apprentices and mentors. Third, community follow-up supports the progress of all apprentices. Neighbourhood committees in project communities are set up by the project and composed of community leaders focused on addressing child labour. The committees have points of contact who, in collaboration with parents’ committees (comprised of the apprentices’ parents), visit apprentices regularly at their workplace, collect information on their wellbeing and treatment by their mentor as well as overall progress. Additionally, the parent committees organize monthly meetings with all parents to ensure they get all necessary clarifications about the project and are fully committed. As most children still live with their parents, it is only with their buy-in that the apprenticeships have a lasting impact through the monitoring work of the neighbourhood community structures, Pact staff and local educational institutions, the apprentices’ attendance and participation in the programme has increased. These interventions show that by putting the child at the centre, Pact and the community can begin to address and eliminate child labour. Pact’s vocational education programme represents one example of this model. It addresses child labour at the root, providing former child miners with skills and a safe trade to fully remove themselves from the mines and to secure a self-sustaining livelihood, resulting in a 98 per cent removal rate from the mines.