The NTF Department remains steadfast in its endeavour to refine its management practices to better support the funding of Namibia’s TVET sector. In this regard, NTF officials recently undertook a benchmarking visit to Mauritius, renowned for its efficient levy fund administration practices. Veripi Kangumine (VK), Manager: Employer Training Grant, shares her experience from the visit.
What was your overall impression of the TVET funding sector in Mauritius?
VK: The Mauritius model involves three state-owned institutions that work in collaboration. While the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) collects the levies, the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) is responsible for the disbursement and administration of the levies; and the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD) manages the TVET centres. All three institutions have industry
leaders serving on their boards.
What were the key takeaways regarding how Mauritius manages their training levies?
VK: The HRDC invests a portion of the levy funds in treasury bills, providing a stable return on investment that supports the long-term sustainability of training initiatives. The Mauritius NTF does not fund capital-intensive projects, e.g., infrastructure development and land acquisition, which has the potential to threaten its sustainability. Levies are used to fund training only. The HRDC allocates the majority of levies to fund nationally significant training projects led by the private sector. Private training centres are self-funded, and trainees pay the required fees for their education. Public training Centres, however, are exclusively funded by the government through MITD. Only those contributing to the levy can benefit from the Employer Training Grant (ETG) and other training incentives. This participatory and inclusive approach maximizes the return on investment in workforce development across various industries.
What specific IT systems do the HRDC and MRA use to manage levies, and how do these compare to what we use in Namibia?
VK: There’s nothing to compare as we do not have a IT system for the management and administration of the levy in place. The MRA utilises a comprehensive IT platform for levy administration, built around the Integrated Tax Administration Solution (ITAS) and the SAP ERP system. The HRDC on the other hand, uses an internally customised Online Training Grant System that streamlines grant management processes, allowing employers to submit applications and manage their grant ceiling online. Although not integrated with the financial system for payments, it improves efficiency in grant management and is supported by internal IT staff.
How do Mauritius’ policies and processes for administering levies integrate with these IT systems?
VK: IT systems in general follow policies and processes, not the other way around. That is the philosophy that MRA, HRDC and MITD follows and impressed upon us as advice when we implement our IT systems. With MRA’s new system, they implemented strict rolebased access controls to safeguard sensitive information. They use audit trails to monitor data access and they ensure data availability through regular backups and established disaster recovery sites to maintain data continuity in case of disruptions.
What framework does Mauritius use to allocate funds to national skills development, and how effective is it?
VK: Mauritius’s levy is collected from a broad base, i.e., all employers, including SMEs and private training providers, who contribute 1.5% of basic salaries. There are 23,000 levy-contributing employers. Non-profit organizations can contribute voluntarily, but must remain registered to benefit from the fund. This is in line with the Mauritius Human Resource Development Act and regulations.
How do they ensure that limited funding is channelled toward high-impact industry and national skills programmes?
VK: Mauritius’ state training centres are specialised, industry-driven and provide practical skills tailored to workforce needs. They specialise in areas of high economic potential, e.g., School of IT, Electronics and Communication and the Mauritius Hotel School, all guided by industry.
Were there any strategies shared on how to prioritize or evaluate funding requests that could be relevant for our context?
VK: The HRDC and MITD have prioritised their research functions to drive innovation and align with evolving demands of the local workforce and economic landscape. This ensures the initiation of new training projects to be funded and the evaluation of existing programmes, e.g., the function has initiated a Skills Development Support Programme for Artificial Intelligence projects in response to emerging technological trends. Similarly, MITD’s Research function drives continuous curricula enhancement to align programmes with industry standards. It could be to our benefit if our research function could be repositioned in a similar manner.
Were there any specific grant schemes or funding models that you think could be successfully adapted to Namibia’s VET sector?
VK: Yes, for example unclaimed funds are redistributed to support other employers, creating a multiplier effect that benefits those participating. Though there is a provision as per our regulations to give additional funding to employers who exhaust their 50% this has not yet been implemented but it is also only limited to priority areas. This is something that we need to implement in order to test its impact on the funding. Secondly, the private training providers are not funded through the levy unless they have an agreement with an employer. This is something that we need to consider as it will change the training focus and benefits thereof to the industry.