The UNEVOC Centre at Unisa, officially inaugurated on 23 March 2026, held its first strategic planning session from 4 to 5 June 2026. The session was facilitated by Binaben Akoobhai, who brings more than 25 years of experience in the education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and skills development sectors. Akoobhai also has extensive experience in establishing a sister UNEVOC Centre in South Africa. 

During the strategic planning session, three UNESCO-UNEVOC thematic areas were identified to guide the Centre's work: private sector engagement; innovation and excellence; and inclusion and youth employability. 

The Centre has already begun making significant progress across these thematic areas. Under the private sector engagement theme, it hosted the Bridging Innovation and Learning in TVET (BILT) event from 19 to 21 May 2026 in partnership with UNESCO-UNEVOC, Durban University of Technology and JET Education Services. This event was aimed at strengthening the capacity of TVET systems to design, deliver and scale work-based, innovation‑driven programmes through sustainable industry collaboration, directly supporting national and continental skills and employability agendas. 

Under the innovation and excellence theme, the Centre is prioritising digital skills, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI) capacity development for staff and students at TVET colleges. This includes promoting the ethical and pedagogically sound use of AI, as well as the effective utilisation of DHET Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Centres. These interventions are designed to address identified skills gaps, enhance teaching quality and support the digital transformation of TVET institutions. 

In support of the inclusion and youth employability theme, the Centre hosted its Second Hybrid International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ICTVET 2026) from 24 to 27 March 2026 in partnership with UNESCO-UNEVOC and other key sector stakeholders. The aim of the biennial conference is to advance policy dialogue and practice on entrepreneurship education, youth empowerment and TVET–industry linkages. The conference will be complemented by ongoing initiatives to embed entrepreneurship in TVET curricula, as well as mentorship and coaching webinars, among other activities.

* Compiled by Prof Vaola Sambo, Centre Manager: UNEVOC Centre, Unisa