Washington — Two major U.S. higher-education associations have formed an international partnership to strengthen curriculum and expand work-force-development programs at a dozen colleges in South Africa.

The American Council on Education and the American Association of Community Colleges have been awarded a three-year, $6.7-million grant by the the U.S. Agency for International Development to start the project, called the U.S.-South Africa Partnership for Skills Development. The project, which builds on past efforts by the U.S. and South African governments, will help expand institutional capacity for student-services and faculty-development programs at South African further-education and training colleges and will better prepare the colleges to train and provide employment opportunities for underemployed South African workers.

Partner institutions in the United States include Bronx Community College, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, and Springfield Technical Community College, as well as the National Center on Education and the Economy, and YouthBuild International, a nonprofit organization.

The announcement comes as American universities, foundations, and donor groups have increased their focus on sub-Saharan Africa as a means to further economic development there. The U.S. Agency for International Development is expected to announce soon the recipients of 20 planning grants of $50,000 apiece meant to kick-start collaborations between African and American universities. —Karin Fischer