Exploring the impact of a Technical and Vocational Education and Training qualified person on the socio-economic well-being of the household: A case study from Samoa

This study explores the impact of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) on households in Samoa, particularly those households that invested in the TVET qualification and certification of at least one member of their household. Significant benefits accrue to households through productive employment of the TVET-certified household member, and this study is one of a kind designed to gather some base line socio-economic data from 15 case study households to validate these claims. The study is framed within the sustainable livelihoods approach and capabilities approach. Improved skills of TVET persons provide a sustainable livelihood for their households and enabled strengthening of people's capabilities to make significant contributions to their families, community and national development agenda. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were methods engaged to answer the study question on the socio-economic impacts of TVET-certified members on their households. The results substantiated what we have always observed and believed, that the households with at least one TVET-certified member is able to make positive physical and social contributions towards improving the livelihood of the entire household.