Integrating Vocational Education into Botswana’s Secondary School Curriculum: Enhancing Skills Development and Youth Employability

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-906-3_13How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Vocational Education; Skills Development; Youth Employability; Botswana’s Secondary School Curriculum

Abstract

In Botswana, youth unemployment remains high, partly due to a mismatch between academic education and the practical skills demanded by the labour market. Many young people leave secondary school without the competencies needed to secure employment or start businesses. This study explored the integration of Vocational Education into secondary schools in the Okavango region to enhance skills development and improve youth employability. The study aimed to examine the current state of Vocational Education, identify key skills required by growing industries, explore best practices for integrating vocational training, and assess challenges faced by educators and policymakers. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed, combining quantitative data from students, teachers, and parents with qualitative interviews from school administrators, complemented by policy analysis of the Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (2015–2020) to support interpretation. Findings indicated that vocational subjects such as Agriculture, Design and Technology, and Home Economics are available but inconsistently implemented and often optional. Key barriers include insufficient resources, outdated curricula, large class sizes, and lack of teacher training. Stakeholders identified essential skills such as computer literacy, construction, repair, and textiles, which are not widely offered. The study concludes that although national policies support vocational education, implementation remains weak, especially in rural areas like the Okavango. Strengthening vocational education requires curriculum reform, teacher development, investment in infrastructure, and the creation of school-industry partnerships. These measures are fundamental to equipping students with practical skills, improving employability, and supporting economic development in Botswana..

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Modibedi Ndiane
AU  - Jane Iloanya
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/12
TI  - Integrating Vocational Education into Botswana’s Secondary School Curriculum: Enhancing Skills Development and Youth Employability
BT  - Proceedings of Botho University International Research Conference (BUIRC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 240
EP  - 254
SN  - 3005-155X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-906-3_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-906-3_13
ID  - Ndiane2025
ER  -