Niagara College is supporting institutional capacity and expanding opportunities for sustainable skills development in Tanzania through continued collaboration with local partners as part of the Empowering Through Skills Program (ESP-05).
From July 13 to 29, Niagara College worked alongside Tanzanian partners through a series of workshops focused on entrepreneurship, service excellence, culinary education, and institutional capacity building. The activities brought together partners from Bigwa and Munguri Folk Development Colleges (FDCs), as well as Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) Justice in Society for Transformative Change (JUST) and Young Strong Mothers Foundation (YSMF).
Building entrepreneurship and service skills
Building on four years of collaboration through ESP-05, the opening week of activities in Dodoma featured a five-day workshop series in entrepreneurship, business planning, and service excellence. The workshops were designed to help participating institutions expand community services, develop sustainable revenue-generating opportunities, and increase their long-term impact.
Facilitated by Orel Ruiz, Director, Partnerships, the workshop series guided participants through the development of institutional business plans, applying entrepreneurship and service excellence concepts within the Tanzanian context while drawing on local strengths, available resources, and the needs of their institutions. The workshops also created opportunities for mutual learning, allowing Niagara College and its partners to exchange perspectives and broaden their understanding of the diverse approaches that shape global skills development.
The first three days, based on modules developed by NC Professor Lisa Ferrantelli, focused on entrepreneurship and business development. Participants developed institutional business plans while exploring practical approaches to costing, pricing, marketing, and financial sustainability.
Orel Ruiz, Director, Partnerships, facilitating a workshop series in Dodoma.
The second part of the week, featuring six modules developed by NC Professor Agnes Nowaczek, focused on service excellence by equipping participants with practical approaches to improving customer experiences, enhancing communication, and fostering professionalism and continuous improvement across institutional services.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of the workshop was seeing participants move beyond ideas and develop practical plans they can implement within their own institutions,” said Ruiz. “By the end of the week, every team had developed an institutional business plan grounded in their local context and focused on creating sustainable services that respond to community needs. That sense of local ownership is what creates lasting impact and will help ensure these ideas continue to evolve well beyond the life of the project.”
Strengthening culinary education
The second week of the ESP-05 activities took place at Bigwa FDC in Morogoro, where Esteban Navarro, Global Education Projects Project Manager, and Chef Erik Mauke, NC Culinary Subject Matter Expert, supported the delivery of short courses in Vegetarian & Vegan Food and Baking Essentials. Throughout the week, participants engaged in workshops focused on quality ingredients, kitchen management, and train-the-trainer methodologies.
Building on the institutional business planning work completed during the first week, the culinary training shifted from planning to implementation by providing Bigwa FDC with practical tools to enhance the services it offers to the community. In addition to enhancing its ability to deliver high-quality short courses, the workshops explored practical ways to develop a sustainable model where products created through the culinary programs can be sold within the community, generating revenue to support the continuation and future growth of these offerings beyond the ESP-05 project.
Esteban Navarro, Global Education Projects Project Manager, and Chef Erik Mauke supported Bigwa FDC during its first-ever Open House event.
Bigwa FDC celebrates its first Open House
On July 25, Navarro and Chef Mauke supported Bigwa FDC during its first-ever Open House event, bringing together community members, parents, and other local stakeholders to learn more about the college’s programs, services, and newly developed short courses.
“More than a community celebration, this Open House demonstrated the impact of four years of collaboration through ESP-05,” said Navarro. “It provided Bigwa FDC with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout the project while strengthening community engagement and recruiting future students.”
About the Empowering Through Skills Program (ESP-05)
Funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC), ESP-05 is implemented by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). This four-year initiative (2022-2026) provides alternative pathways to education, employment, and entrepreneurship for students and marginalized groups, particularly women.
Working in partnership with Tanzania’s Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, Niagara College and Seneca Polytechnic have collaborated with local Folk Development Colleges and Community-Based Organizations to enhance institutional capacity, strengthen workforce skills, and create sustainable opportunities for local communities.
As ESP-05 concludes, the partnerships, knowledge, and institutional capacity developed through the project will continue supporting communities long after the formal initiative ends. This work also contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goal).
For more information about ESP-05, or to explore future international project opportunities with Niagara College, visit NCGlobal.ca or contact the Global Education Projects team at [email protected].
