The 4H Career Pathways Story
Launcing in 2017 as a pilot project, the 4H Career Pathways (4HCP) program has continued to grow -- just like the school gardens tended by students. Using the 4H Tanzania as a chassis, TDS has partnered with Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University to add a career pathways element to the program. The result is an extracurricular club where students get hands-on learning, skills development, and career exploration.
Part 1: Pilot
A Collaborative Start
In 2015, TDS and Education Systems Center traveled to the Mara region to meet with officials in the Regional Office of Education, teachers and headmasters, and community organizations to investigate the potential to implement a career pathways program that had previously been active in Liberia. Together, a plan was developed that would leverage an existing extracurricular program (4H) and add a career pathways framework.
The career pathways portion of the program would emphasize introducing students to careers in in-demand employment sectors, soft skills development, and entrepreneurial skills. Although the career pathways program already existed in other places like Illinois and Liberia, our approach is always to work with our partners and leaders in the communityunity to shape a program that meets the needs of students in the Mara region.
Launching Pilot
During the initial rollout of the program, the Regional Office of Education assigned a young and rising teacher to serve as the Program Coordinator in the afternoons. The limited schedule was a driving force in the program's approach to being structured as an extracurricular club for students. With training and support from 4H Tanzania, the clubs were ready to start in 2017.
Strong Interest
Despite the program being limited to only a few schools in two Villages initially, the number of participating students was surprising. By 2019, more than 300 students were participating in club activities. The opportunity to learn to raise crops, hear about different professions, and play educational games was new and exciting for students.
Part 2: Program Growth
Evidence of Success
During a visit in 2019, we met with students, teachers, and headmasters involved in the 4HCP clubs to determine how the pilot project was going. The evidence was abundant -- the program was a success. Students were more engaged in the classroom, gardens were producing enough food for students to eat and sell, and fewer girls were becoming pregnant after participating in health education. It was also evident that the program would need more capacity and resources if it were to realize its full potential.
Building Capacity
In an effort to build capacity, TDS began working with a new partner, Global Resources Alliance. The new partnership would provide TDS with a local partner that had organizational infrastructure in place to bring on a full-time Program Coordinator and expand the program into more schools in the Mara region. Although these plans were disrupted in 2020 due to the pandemic and school closures, the new partnership officially launched in 2021.
With a devoted Program Coordinator and more resources for teachers and clubs, the program has thrived these past four years. Currently, more than 700 students are participating in 8 different schools.
Part 3: Assessment
Preparing for Careers
The 4HCP program aims to achieve a lot and provides specific programming that does not happen within classrooms. But at the core of the program is the mission to prepare students for employment or self-sufficient entrepreneurship. Starting in grade 4 in primary school and working through the completion of secondary school, students work to hit certain milestones over the seven years they are able to participate in the program. These milestones are guided by a framework that was developed in collaboration between TDS, Education Systems Center, and the teachers who run the clubs at all 8 schools.
Pre & Post Assessments
In order to better track the progress and impacts of the program, TDS has worked with the Program Coordinator and teachers to develop various assessments. One of the most important is a survey that participating students take at the beginning and end of each year. The survey results have shown a remarkable level of knowledge being gained by students that participate.
Endless Potential
The 4HCP program was designed to be scalable. With existing infrastructure and training available to on-board new teachers, the program can be implemented in new schools quickly. The program also lends itself well to supporting one-time projects such as water tanks and computer labs that involve students. The greatest limitation in the program's growth is financial resources. Help us grow this program by donating today.