Nakuru County Government is in the process of upgrading all Youth Polytechnics and Technical Vocational Education Training Institutes (TVETs) in a move aimed at empowering learners with industry-responsive skills that will help bridge the skills gap among TVET graduates.
Governor Susan Kihika said that, the county was partnering with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and several private companies to ensure the students get hands-on skills by spending at least 50 per cent of their training time working in relevant industries.
Ms. Kihika assured that her government was prepared to pay Sh30,000 as part of one-year school fees for all students enrolled in public polytechnics within the devolved unit.
The decision to pay part of the school fees, the governor explained, was inspired by the willingness, support, and goodwill of parents, adding that the action would boost enrolment.
In a speech delivered on her behalf by County Secretary and Head of Public Service Dr. Samuel Mwaura during the launch of a football tournament at Morendat within Gilgil Sub-County, Ms. Kihika disclosed that her administration was pushing for exchange programmes between village and national polytechnics to spur industrialisation.
The Governor was happy that TVETs and polytechnics had the capacity to cure the skills gap between graduates and the job market in the country, saying that the skills gap had rendered many college leavers jobless due to lack of hands-on job skills.
“Most graduates are unable to deliver on their jobs, forcing companies, especially in the private sector, to introduce in-house training before absorbing them,’’ said Ms. Kihika.
Research shows that there are between 500,000 to 800,000 fresh graduates entering the job market each year, added the Governor.
Governor Kihika stated that the county could not employ graduates with no industry skills, adding that the county was committed to upgrading and equipping all the TVETs and polytechnics in the county to help empower the students with quality, relevant, and life skills that were market-driven.
During the event, the county government donated jerseys, goal nets, and soccer balls to various teams.
Ms. Kihika said she has set aside funds for youth empowerment initiatives, including upgrading facilities at the County’s Vocational Training Centres (VTCs), with the aim of meeting required standards and attracting more youth enrollment.
The county, she added, was exploring a model where students would be subjected to a combination of theory and practical training, in a real-life work environment through an interchange of training at a TVET institute and in a company or industry.
“We are updating the training equipment in the TVETs and youth polytechnics to reflect advancements in technology,” said Kihika.
The governor voiced the County’s commitment to enrolling more young people in various courses that are not offered professionally at the University level, a move she said will empower them for the job-market.
The county secretary, Dr. Samuel Mwaura, observed that close links between enterprises and training centres have been at the core of Western World’s economic success since the 19th century, adding that by building up such TVET ecosystems in Kenya, it would provide concrete job opportunities for many unemployed youths.
He expressed appreciation for the contribution made by the private sector to formal employment, but noted with regret that in some cases, the sector was struggling to find candidates due to a mismatch between the courses offered at TVET institutions, and advised the sector to partner with tertiary institutions to develop specialised short-term practical courses.
Dr. Mwaura added that the County Government was keen to forge partnerships with the private sector in areas of research, with an emphasis on the changing market environment and consumer trends, that will help build a valuable knowledge base that the private sector and the county government could leverage on to improve technical training centres.
He said the National Government has rolled out new technical and vocational courses as it began to implement the Competence-Based Education and Training (CBET) policy framework aimed at delivering industry responsive skills.
The official emphasised the need for an effective Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) system, which includes the development of occupational standards, training programmes, facilitation of training, and assessment, which she said will play a key role in the achievement of the Big Four Government agenda and Vision 2030.
Nakuru County has 24 youth polytechnics spread across the 11 sub counties. According to the Technical Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), there are two accredited public TVET institutions in the county, including the Dairy Training Institute in Naivasha and the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology in Njoro, and a total of 18 accredited private TVET institutions.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows enrolment of students in national polytechnics, public technical, and vocational colleges increased by 4.8 per cent to 451,205 in 2020 a sign that the government’s efforts to grow enrolment in the institutions is bearing fruit. The number of TVET institutions increased by 7.5 per cent to 2,301 in 2020.
By Esther Mwangi and Angela Musonye
