After completing primary education in 2017, his father took him to a welding workshop in Tanga to learn and grow. That is how Abdalah Mhando was set on a pathway to pursue a skill. 

After a couple of months, trusting he had learned enough and, hoping that the youngster would soon earn his own living, his dad sent him to an uncle in Dar es Salaam. 

In Dar es Salaam things did not pan out as expected. Abdallah returned to Tanga to look for jobs. His notable turn down was a sisal plantation. 

“The manager told me, you have some skill and effort, but you lack all credentials,” said Abdallah. The rejection hurt, but he did not dishearten him. 

A commissioned study through EU funded INCLU-CITIES project in Tanga, Mwanza and Pemba confirmed that hundreds of thousands of youths who often struggle to land decent jobs partly because employers required a set of skills that most job seekers do not even know they lacked. 

Abdallah’s pivotal moment came in 2025 with the announcement of sponsored opportunities to learn welding and metal fabrication at Vocational Education Training Authority (VETA) Tanga. Funded by the European Union and implemented by Enabel Tanzania, the training opportunities sought to equip youth with skills that prepared them for the demands of the job market. 

His fervent driven personality found a welcoming space in the well-equipped workshops and tutors. He participated in almost all classes, and stood out as one always ready to practice, ask questions and consult tutors. 

No wonder, when VETA Tanga picked learners from the welding class to participate in the skills competition at regional level, Abdallah was on the list. 

Among twelve competitors from different technical training centers, Abdallah came on top of the list of five that qualified from the regional competition to compete nationally.  

“It was unbelievable. My tutor called me to travel to the regional competition while I was in practical training at a factory in Tanga. I was sometimes nervous. It was my first ever competition,” he said. He said he learned a lot during the competition. Confidence, consulting with new people— equals and superiors— timed tasks and more important reading drawings and interpreting them fast and executing. 

He focused on sharpening his skills to interpret technical drawings into an items. In Tanga in August 2026, Abdallah secured top position in welding and metal fabrication in the national skills competition.
 “I’m grateful to Enabel and VETA for offering the learning opportunities that have supported me to develop my skills and show my capacity,” said Abdallah.  

The training under INCLU-CITIES has been designed to equip learners with technical and non-technical skills for the job market as employees or owners of small businesses.  ends