Vocational education and training and employability: the case of the Government Vocational Training Centres in the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

The Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector is considered to be at the heart of the domestic and worldwide economies and it plays a major role in the provision of people‘s employability. In Oman, throughout all the stages of the Five Year National Development Plans (1976–to date), Government Vocational Training Centres (GVTCs) have received the government's attention. This includes the expansion and development of premises, construction works, workshops and the provision of machinery and tools, to keep abreast of VET developments witnessed by various economic sectors in the country. Thus, it is clear that Oman attaches great importance to VET, as it represents a central focus of its development strategy. However, despite this evident government support there are several indications that a negative attitude towards vocational work from some Omani youth may also exist, further adding to a general reluctance to join GVTCs and a scarcity of Omanis in the industrial labour force. Within this context, this research aims to develop a framework that enhances the GVTCs ‘graduate‘s skills in Oman by identifying the current status of VET programmes, investigating graduates ‘employability, and analysing the challenges that face trainees and graduates in GVTCs and the market place.

keywords :Vocational Training, Oman , labour force, graduates employability