Rwanda TVET Board (RTB) says new courses targeting establishment and expansion of aviation and railway transport skills will be enrolled in vocational schools by the start of next academic year. .
The new courses include Aerospace, Aeronautical Engineering, railway engineering and management.
Eng. Paul Umukunzi, Director-General of RTB said that these new courses aim to prepare skilled employees in the aviation and railways transport sector when the country starts to use railways transport in the future.
He made the observation during the launch of ‘Join TVET’ campaign which seeks to enroll 60% of students from into technical and vocational schools by 2024.
“There are some courses that were not available in the local academic curriculum like Aerospace, Aeronautical Engineering, railway engineering and management. They are new programs that will be established in TVET schools as the government plans to start railway transport and expanding aviation,” Eng. Umukunzi said.
A complete section of Railway in Kenya. Rwanda
“For these transports, we need to prepare people who are going to make these railways and manage them. They will be able to repair railways and take care of all the infrastructures related.”
According to Eng. Umukunzi, RTB is currently working on the curriculum, finding teachers for the Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering, railway engineering and management that will train students in the country.
Besides the new courses, the existing courses will also be adjusted to meet technology trends.
In 2018, Rwanda and Tanzania agreed on joint construction of a Standard Gauge Railway from Isaka in North Western Tanzania to Kigali to facilitate logistics movement between the two countries.
Proposed New Railway line(In red)
The railway system is expected to link Tanzania to the neighboring countries of Rwanda and Uganda, and continue to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Last year, the University of Rwanda (UR) also announced reaching the final touches in drafting curriculum for Aeronautics and Aerospace programs under the College of Science and Technology.
“We already have other mechanical engineering courses, including plant, production and energy engineering, but with time we also decided to specialize by establishing new courses depending on the labour market trends,”Ignace Gatare, the Principal of College of Science and Technology at UR told KT Press yesterday.
“Rwanda has the vision to strengthen the aviation sector locally and regionally. So, it’s important to prepare Aeronautics and Aerospace professionals in the upcoming duo courses.”
