End review of the second grant agreement of the Norwegian support to the structured engineers’ apprenticeship program (SEAP)

Norway has supported this programme since 2010, and the current agreement is coming to an end in 2022. The SEAP program and Norwegian support to female engineers has led to a significant increase in number of females in the formal apprenticeship programme needed to become a certified engineer in Tanzania.

The combined end- and forward looking review was carried out as a combined desk study and a field visit to Tanzania, to meet with relevant stakeholders. The support to SEAP is assessed to be of high relevance, and complementary to other Norwegian funded programs.

The program is efficient, and implemented largely according to plans. One challenge raised in the final report is the need to improve the sustainability of the programme. The SEAP is highly dependent on external financing, and the report recommends that dialogue with the Government of Tanzania and other donors is initiated to find a more sustainable financing model for SEAP in the future. Another practical recommendation from the report is for ERB to advertise the SEAP program to a wider audience. This could potentially lead to more companies and employers knowing about the SEAP, and see an opportunity in hiring female graduates.

The final report was discussed and validated in a workshop arranged by ERB. They welcomed the constructive advice and recommendations from the report to improve the SEAP, and take the recommendation into consideration when continuing their dialogue with partners for potential cooperation in a new phase of the program.