Oct 26 , 2019
By TEMESGEN MULUGETA ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )


The Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation is constructing a technical training centre at Modjo town in Oromia Regional State for an estimated 85 million Br.

The construction of the training centre is planned to have an administrative building, lecture theatres, dormitory, cafeteria, library, a designated area for practical training, technical laboratory and conference hall. The centre is also intended to provide between a week to a month of training in automotive transmission, auto electricity, electro-mechanics, hydraulics and surveying.

It will also have three to five buildings and the capacity to provide training for up to 500 trainees at a time.

The centre, which will rest on 60,000Sqm of land, will also provide 39 types of short trainings in leadership, management and project management.


Construction of the centre is scheduled to be started after three months, once the ongoing bidding process to hire a construction firm is completed. The Corporation, which was re-established in 2015 with an authorized capital of 20 billion Br, floated a tender at the end of last month looking for a company for consultancy services.

Fully financed by the Corporation, the project is expected to be completed at the end of 2021.


Enhancing employee’s technical knowledge to support the construction sector with trained human resources and minimising the cost that is spent for training are the two major aims of the project, according to Tinfu Muche, communications head at the Corporation, which has 16,304 employees.

"Interest and knowledge gaps are the criteria to select the trainees," Tinfu added.


After completing the courses, the trainees will be assigned to different departments of the Corporation. They will also take a Centre of Competence exam to ensure they are qualified. If they do not pass the exam, they must re-take the course.

For the construction of the centre, the Ethiopian Water Works Construction Enterprise, which mainly works on water well drilling, conducted a feasibility study in 2014.

However, the project was delayed since the land and the title deed were not transferred to the Corporation in a timely manner, according to Tinfu.

Besides the employees of the Corporation, the centre will provide training for those who are engaged in the construction sector, which contributes 16pc to the country's GDP.


Established to engage in domestic and overseas construction - in particular upgrading and maintenance of roads, bridges, dams and irrigation projects - the Corporation is currently constructing the Tendaho Dam & Irrigation Development Project at a cost of 4.1 billion Br.

When the project is completed, it will have the capacity of holding 1.8 billion cubic metres of water. The project also includes the construction of a 72Km-long canal that feeds into the main one.

Messele Haile (PhD), an assistant professor at the Civil Engineering Department at Addis Abeba University, says that the training centre will play an immense role in addressing the knowledge gap in the sector.

"The training centre comes at the right time to contribute to the construction sector by providing trained and skilled manpower and fills the gap seen in the sector," Messele said.



PUBLISHED ON Oct 26,2019 [ VOL 20 , NO 1017]


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