The VocalizeIoT project team held an impactful two-day workshop and general meeting at Strathmore University in Nairobi on October 28th and 29th, 2024. This gathering brought together consortium partners from across Europe and East Africa to discuss the project’s progress, share insights and plan the next set of activities to advance the mission of empowering vocational education training (VET) staff with essential IoT knowledge and skills.
Day 1 Program
The first half of day one was dedicated to a general meeting aimed at reviewing the progress of the VocalizeIoT project, planning our next steps and aligned on upcoming strategies. Discussions covered key areas such as program needs, deployment of hybrid solution labs in local VET partner institutions, upcoming reports and communication and dissemination strategies. This was to ensure all partners are on the same page and prepared to execute their respective tasks in the coming months. There was also a short brainstorming session to collect ideas to fine tune the proposed IoT program design.
Following the general meeting, the team transitioned into the “Train-the-Trainer” sessions. This part of the workshop focused on preparing VET staff with the technical and practical skills required to deliver IoT education in their institutions effectively. This training session was also a pilot to gather some insights on the best approaches to use in delivering the needed IoT knowledge and skill to the VET staff. All VET staff were given a set of curated hardware and the training was led by Waziup experts. The training covered topics such as sensor node prototyping and gateway setup to mention a few. This laid the groundwork for the series of train-the-trainer sessions to come, eventually aiding the successful implementation of an IoT curriculum in VET centers.
Day 2 Program
Day two built on the previous day’s training by delving further into the hands-on IoT development, with sessions on Waziup technologies like WaziCloud and API integrations. Trainers also engaged the VET staff on LoRa prototyping providing them with valuable tools to support digital transitions within vocational education.
We extend our thanks to all partners and participants for their dedication and contributions, especially to Strathmore University’s @iLabAfrica team and Waziup trainers who led key sessions. Together, we are building a strong foundation for IoT education in vocational training across Africa.
Stay tuned for further updates on our progress as we continue to empower educators with the resources to drive IoT innovation!
