It is important to identify, understand, and mitigate risks, e.g., barriers to entering the vocational training market. There are limitations in the number of training providers in Namibia and the courses and levels at which they offer training. This posed a challenge in meeting Vocational Training Grant Fund (VTGF) training targets and will be an important ongoing challenge in addressing high-priority skill areas through the National Training Fund (NTF), which was established with MCC support. This challenge could be especially important if the high-priority areas include new skills and higher levels of skill not currently available from Namibian training providers (which might be the reason for their being high priority in the first place). As an example of a specific barrier to entering the market or expanding offerings, the registration and accreditation process for training providers is widely viewed as lengthy, cumbersome, and unnecessarily duplicative since many of the requirements for registration and accreditation are similar. Future compacts should identify such challenges when analyzing risks and seek ways to mitigate them, such as streamlining redundant procedures, mapping service provision, examining the possibility of partnering with providers in the region to fill gaps in quality provision (e.g., South Africa has a strong training market), and identifying and addressing weaknesses in the government’s quality assurance mechanisms.
Lesson Learned