The government through the State Department for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVETs) is committed to creating stronger linkages between the institutions and industries to enhance the quality of training and ensure employability.
Thanks to the continued effort to marshall youths to enroll in TVETs, the government is eying to increase enrolment to two million students by the end of 2025 from the current number of 500,000 learners.
Presently, the number of trainees enrolled in these institutions has rose from 350,000 to 500,000 and is expected to hit one million learners by mid-next year.
The pronouncement is in line with the government’s commitment to revamp the TVET sector to equip the youths with requisite skills that meet industry-skills demand and contain the rise in youth unemployment.
According to the PS TVET, Dr Esther Muoria, the government recently employed 2000 tutors to bridge the trainer-student ratio bringing the total number of tutors to 3,300.
In addition, the PS said they are engaging with the National Treasury seeking more funds that will facilitate employment and training of more tutors to enhance quality training.
Speaking in Naivasha during an engagement with TVET institutions, Dr Muoria said the State is committed to establishing and equipping 25 centres of excellence that are key to the implementation of the Competency-Based Education and Training Curriculum (CBEC).
The PS said the Ministry in partnership with Mastercard Foundation has retooled more than 5,000 trainers on CBEC and its implementation.
Consequently, Dr Muoria said the Ministry has also formed industry advisory committees to ensure the students acquire the requisite skills needed in the market and is rooting for external examiners to guide practical trainings.
“The government is committed to realign deliberate efforts to enhance youths’ skills to enable them to get well-paying jobs as well as establish their business,” said the PS.
She added that the Ministry is also on course to ensure digital training, use of simulation and virtual labs for students to prepare them for future jobs in industries.
Aggrey Ndombi from CiCAN, said they have partnered with the government to develop over 700 programs and engaged with 500,000 students during the end of the five-year project.
Ndombi said the collaboration seeks to ensure that training is for more than 7 million youths by the year 2030 to boost their employability both in the local and international labour markets.
By Erastus Gichohi
