Over 8,000 students who sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations last year have opted to pursue courses in TVETs and other colleges.
Speaking in Mombasa during a capacity building workshop organized by the Kenya Association of Technical Training Institutions (KATTI), Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Ogamba said that the number is set to increase as the ministry release results of the ongoing application of courses under the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
Ogamba said that TVET programmes are now being embraced by high school graduates unlike previously. “I must point out that TVET holds the key to unlocking Kenya’s economic potential by equipping the youth with hands-on, job ready skills that meet the demands of the 21st century job market,” he said.
He noted that as the country continues to industrialize and digitize, the need for a highly skilled and adaptable workforce has never been greater.
Ogamba said the country is currently facing a mismatch between the skills possessed by job seekers and the requirements of employers.
On the other hand, the CS reiterated that sectors such as manufacturing, construction, hospitality, and ICT are in dire need of skilled technicians, artisans and service providers.
He noted that as a government they support capacity building, collaboration and continuous improvement in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions themed “strengthening TVET leadership for a sustainable future.”
He added that with over 200 public and many private TVET institutions in Kenya, the government has taken significant steps to promote vocational training as a viable alternative to academic education.
Courses offered in TVET institutions range from electric engineering and plumbing to culinary arts and digital skills, offering youth diverse pathways to gainful employment or self-employment.
The CS noted that TVETs fosters entrepreneurial mindsets, enabling graduates to become job creators rather than job seekers as many skilled artisans and technicians trained through TVET start their own Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) contributing to local economic growth and innovation.
He called for collaboration from public-private partners to push TVET to reach its full potential, urging for community involvement and awareness campaigns to help change the outdated perception that vocational training is a last resort to those who fail in academic paths.
“Highlighting success stories of TVET graduates and linking skill development to national goals such as the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) can inspire more youth to embrace vocational training,” said the CS.
According to the CS the transition to Competency Based Education and Training (CBET) is a cornerstone of the country’s education reform agenda aimed to produce graduates who are not only knowledgeable but skilled, innovative and ready to compete in the modern labor market.
He urged principals of the TVET institutions to take up the responsibility of institutionalizing CBET practices in the curriculum delivery and assessment frameworks.
Photos by Andrew Hinga
“Your trainers must adopt flexible approaches, integrate workplace simulation, and maintain strong linkages with industry. Assessment should move beyond traditional examinations to include continuous evaluation, portfolio reviews, practical assessments, and industry based feedback,” said Ogamba.
He noted that the ministry is realigning the curriculum to a programme called modularization whereby when students come in to study a particular portion of a skill, they will be able to finish it within the time allocated probably three months as opposed to keeping them in college for a whole year to learn things they would not need in the job market.
“Once a trainer has learnt a particular skill in a modular form they can be awarded a certificate and get a job to do and if they want to advance they can always come back and continue studying for as long as they want,” he said.
The CS highlighted that the move will ensure there is flexibility and accessibility and will see a larger number of students joining TVET.
He added that the ministry is working all across governments to increase enrollment, and sensitize the public about the institutions and subjects offered.
He noted that the multi-agency approach is working as when the programme started there were 375,000 students enrolled which has now increased to 600,000.
In respect to funding, the CS said Higher Education and Loans Board (HELB) funds the programmes with the ministry having applied for a budget of about Sh.8.5 billion that will be released from the supplementary budget to support the TVET sector.
By Chari Suche
