Causes and consequences of the shortage of skilled technicians in Tanzania: a case study of TANESCO

The aim of this research was to determine the skill shortage with the specific focus on Technical Technicians at TANESCO. The study used survey technique to collect data from 67 respondents. Data were analyzed for descriptive statics using SPSS. Findings show that there is a severe shortage of skilled technicians at TANESCO. The position with critical shortage is the administration (89%) other positions include electrical (67%), plant operation (67%), maintenance (53%), finance (49%) and marketing (47%). The levels of skill with critical shortage are mechanical and electrical. The old age of present technical technicians, lack of succession plan for technicians’ level and lack of training are the main causes of shortage. The strategies set to combact the problem have been identified as putting in place a succession mechanism using so called greybeard to train and have on job training programs in place. The study concludes by recommending workplace-based strategies, and training-based strategies to address the shortage of technicians