By Edwin Mbewe
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-For years, thousands of Malawians have gone to work every day armed with skills acquired through experience, yet without certificates to prove what they can do.
Now, the Government says that is changing.
The Ministry of Labour, Skills and Innovation has described the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) initiative as a critical tool for unlocking Malawi’s “hidden” skills and driving the country towards the development ambitions outlined in Malawi 2063.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop on RPL in Mponela on Monday, August 24, 2026, Ministry Director of Administration George Mwasinga said the initiative is opening a new door for workers who have built their skills outside formal classrooms.
Mwasinga said Malawi has taken a significant step by bringing skills acquired through years of work experience into the national qualifications system.
He said through RPL, workers can have their competencies assessed and certified through the Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA), giving them qualifications that can be formally recognised in the labour market.
“This is about recognising what people already know and can do,” Mwasinga said.
For workers who have spent years perfecting their trades but have little or no formal education to show for it, the programme could be a turning point—transforming experience into recognised qualifications and potentially opening the way to better employment and economic opportunities.
Turning experience into opportunity
Don Bosco Tech Africa Local Project Officer Edina Chimpeni said RPL has the potential to change the lives of experienced workers who have long remained outside the formal qualifications system.
She said workers who have acquired skills through years of practical experience should not be left behind simply because they did not obtain those skills in a classroom.
Chimpeni said Don Bosco Tech Africa is committed to providing the financial support required to establish a strong RPL framework in Malawi.
“We are looking at the development. Don Bosco Tech Africa is there to pump in the funds that are needed to make sure that as a nation we have this framework in place, that will join all other tools together at national level,” she said.
Employers urged to open their doors
Employers have also been challenged to embrace the initiative, with the Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) saying businesses stand to benefit from a workforce whose skills are properly identified and recognised.
ECAM Executive Director George Khakhi said Malawi has thousands of people with valuable skills that could be put to productive use if employers recognise their competencies.
He said certification could motivate workers, create opportunities for career advancement and ultimately boost productivity in businesses.
“We have a lot of people with lots of skills that we can use in our workplaces and improve productivity,” Khakhi said.
He added that recognising workers’ skills could also help create employment opportunities by connecting skilled people with industries that need their expertise.
A lifeline for informal workers
For workers in Malawi’s vast informal economy, the RPL framework could prove particularly significant.
Malawi Congress of Trade Unions representative Limbani Kachale said many informal workers possess practical abilities but struggle to access opportunities because they lack formal certification.
“Most of our workers, especially those who are in the informal economy, don’t have relevant skills that are actually required by employers,” Kachale said.
He said RPL could bridge that gap by identifying, assessing and certifying workers whose skills have been developed through experience.
“We believe that this framework will then be able to bring these workers with appropriate skills so that they are relevant in the industry,” he said.
From skills without papers to qualifications
Government launched the Recognition of Prior Learning initiative in 2021 to formally recognise skills acquired through informal and non-formal learning pathways.
The initiative is now being positioned as more than just a certification programme. Stakeholders see it as a bridge between experience and employment, between informal work and formal industry, and between the skills Malawians already possess and the qualifications needed to drive economic growth.
As Malawi pursues the ambitious goals of Malawi 2063, the message from Mponela was clear: skills do not only come from classrooms.
For thousands of Malawians, the experience they have accumulated with their hands, tools and years of work could finally become a recognised qualification—and a passport to greater economic opportunity.
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