Vocational training interventions need a credible, demand-based approach for identifying skills gaps in the labor market. A key part of the Vocational Training Activity’s program logic involved shifting the Namibian vocational training sector from being supply-driven to being driven by the needs of the labor market. However, the interim qualitative evaluation found that although the VTGF training grants were intended to target high-priority skill areas, the process to determine market demand with the ISCs was not as scientific as planned and had not yet produced rigorous guidelines for prioritizing skill areas. The employment results seem to reflect the persistent mismatch between labor supply and demand and suggest that the National Training Fund and other activities aiming to improve employment outcomes should continue efforts to better calibrate training programs to the needs of the labor market.
Lesson Learned