Non-cooperating PS actors

Interviews with PS actors that have not yet cooperated with ATCs were conducted to provide a picture of non-affiliated PS actors’ perceptions of ATCs

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and cooperations with them. Gathering these views and opinions help answer the question “What’s in it for me?”.

As strengths and weaknesses in a SWOT analysis only refer to existing cooperations, the analysis of data in this chapter is not a full SWOT analysis.

However, a lot can be said about opportunities and challenges non-cooperating actors see in potential cooperations. Non-cooperating actors’ motivation as well as their process knowledge on how to become involved in ATVET were of interest.

In Rwanda, five non-cooperating PS actors from small- to medium-sized companies and cooperatives were interviewed, namely: Covafga Ltd., Ctaga Ltd., Kazihorti Ltd., KUC Ltd., and Global Farmers Ltd.

In Uganda, Yalelo (U) Ltd., a recently registered company specialising in cage fish farming, was interviewed. Yalelo has very ambitious growth targets and aims to reach 1000 tons of fresh fish in 2020 and employ about 150 staff, which, according to their own assessment, would set them far apart from all other players in Uganda.

In general, all six actors showed high motivation to cooperate. They were very interested in the ATVET programme, although some of them were not yet familiar with it. They agreed upon the necessity of private−public partnership in education and named the need for practical internships, which they would like to provide. Four actors referred to even broader objectives when talking about their willingness to cooperate. One actor stated they wanted to help the country in the domain of education. Three others referred to value chain development and said they need cooperations and close exchange with training institutions to raise national production, to ensure quality and safety standards, and, thus, be able to gain access to export markets.

They saw opportunities for themselves as well as for potential trainees.

Companies expected to benefit from knowledge exchange in general and, in particular, on innovation and new techniques in horticulture. They also hoped for product quality improvement (PS1_NC) and production increases. Like cooperating actors, they saw opportunities in equipment-sharing arrangements (drying machine, PS4_NC).

When asked what non-cooperating actors could contribute to ATVET, they named exchange on curricula and employment after the internship. In Rwanda, actors saw their role in imparting practical knowledge on the use of fertilizer, irrigation systems, and nursery beds (PS4_NC). Some (PS2_NC, PS4_NC) have a special in-house training programme, which they could provide for students.

Situation analysis of the cooperation

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Yalelo said they could offer lectures or put ponds on ATC grounds for demonstrations.

Despite having high motivation and opportunities, there were challenges that they could not overcome. These challenges were similar to those mentioned by cooperating actors, but accommodation was the first priority for all six non-cooperating actors and the deciding point for not hosting interns. In Rwanda, interviewees said money for transport, accommodation, and living cost must be provided – ideally by the government – to enable them to accept interns. In Uganda, Yalelo mentioned they would be happy to bear such costs in the future but at the moment their business would not allow it. Other challenges mentioned encompass risks involved in offering internships. One actor was worried about errors that interns would make during processing and feared products could not be used as a result (PS1_NC). Additionally, the location of some companies proved to be a challenge as some were located too far away from the ATC (PS3_NC), which made transport over long distances (PS3_NC) necessary. This constituted a risk for the company as arrival on time at the workplace could not be guaranteed.

Communication between ATCs and existing cooperation actors is poor, but exchange and dialogue with non-cooperating actors is nearly non-existent. One actor (PS1_NC) had not heard about the ATVET system. PS actors seemed insecure about their potential role in the ATVET system and wondered why they hadn’t been approached through, for example, RHIO’s 83-member database.

Non-cooperating actors also hoped for networking possibilities with the government through cooperation with ATCs.

An illustrative example of a non-cooperating partner that is highly motivated and resourced, but has not yet engaged with the ATVET system is Yalelo. A key challenge in Yalelo’s ambitious expansion plans in Uganda is demand for skilled labour. The Yalelo management was unaware of the ATVET system and the government’s commitment to improve vocational training and education in the aquaculture sector. Presumably, negative previous experiences with graduates from the Zambian public tertiary education and vocational training systems whilst operating in Zambia disillusioned them and prompted them to set up in-company training facilities in Uganda. Upon hearing about the ATVET system during the interview and FTI’s dedication to improving the quality of training in their sector, they wondered if collaboration would be more cost effective in the short-term and contribute to their long-term ambition of developing the value chain and grow the sector. When the SLE team facilitated contact between them and the FTI principal, both parties immediately responded, continued the discussion

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bilaterally, and pledged to meet physically to discuss cooperation opportunities.

In this case, all that was needed was the introduction through a neutral, trustworthy facilitator.

In order to engage non-cooperating actors in ATVET the following can be stated: non-cooperating actors interviewed in Rwanda fall into the category indirect potential actor, but could become champions of integration (see Stakeholder Mapping in 4.1) if hindering factors were removed. The non-cooperating company Yalelo in Uganda is a key actor in the value chain and could become a key champion if existing opportunities are realised.

Im Dokument What is in it for me? (Seite 86-89)