In early 2008, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) sponsored a workshop in Tanzania
to discuss the potential of formal and informal apprenticeships with the Government,
workers’ and employers’ associations, and academic and development agencies. The
debate confirmed the importance of apprenticeships in training young people, yet the
knowledge about how to effectively strengthen apprenticeship systems was not fully
understood. This led to an empirical study of more than 600 master crafts-persons and
apprentices in the Lindi and Mtwara regions, Understanding Informal Apprenticeship in
Tanzania (2009)1
. Six skill areas were researched: car mechanics, electricians,
carpentry/joinery, local arts, plumbing and tailoring. The selection of skill areas was based
on their growth and labour absorbing potential for these two regions. The findings of this
study highlighted the relatively high status of electricians, the required formal certification,
and the benefits of informal apprenticeships that provide the basis for eventual
self-employment. However, the constraints to expanding the numbers and levels of qualified
electricians were not well understood.
This study sets out to deepen the analysis of the earlier research by examining, in more
detail, the growth and labour potential of the energy sector, one of the most promising labour
absorbing sectors, and the demand that it is creating for young electricians in Mtwara and
beyond. It does this by rapidly assessing the energy sector from macro policy level through
to the micro-level in Mtwara. It begins by providing a brief contextual overview of the
country and its development challenges, and links these to recent changes in the energy
sector as a whole. It considers developments in recent sector policies and the new national
Rural Energy Agency.