Rwanda: A simple approach with a big impact

Many young professionals from technical careers as welders, plumbers, and electricians—face a major challenge after completing their training: they possess valuable skills but remain invisible to potential employers and clients. The Rwandan colleagues from Bildungswerk der Baden-Württembergischen Wirtschaft (BIWE) decided to address this issue in a pilot project.

And demonstrated impressively how targeted visibility can sustainably improve professional prospects. With a budget of just around €1,000 they equipped 32 young professionals with overalls printed with their trade and contact details.

After 3 months the team interviewed 18 of the technicians:

• 17 of 18 (94 %) are wearing the overall at least on a regular basis
• 16 of 18 (89 %) were contacted by clients or employers after wearing the overalls
• 10 of 18 (56 %) reported major improvements in income and opportunities and another 5 (28 %) experienced moderate gains

One participant shared: "This overall made me a professional. Because of it, many people gave me jobs and now I feel proud of my career."

This overall made me a professional. Because of it, many people gave me jobs and now I feel proud of my career. 

Others highlighted the importance of being visible to the community and the added benefit of having protective clothing for technical work. 17 of 18 (94 %) respondents recommended us to continue and expand the initiative.

The BIWE project was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ GmbH.