A Sh1.2 billion textile technology factory, which has been under construction at the Kisumu National Polytechnic, is set to be commissioned to develop skills and competencies to drive the sector.
State Department for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Principal Secretary (PS) Esther Muoria said the facility which is funded by the Ministry of Education and the World Bank through the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP) was almost complete and will be handed over to the institution for use in the next three months.
The project includes state-of-the-art training facilities, lecture halls, modern laboratories and workshops aimed at providing students with the tools and environment to acquire skills that meet both local and regional industry standards.
In addition to infrastructure, the project also focuses on curriculum enhancement and the adoption of new teaching methodologies to address the changing needs of the textiles industry.
The PS who led the EASTRIP National Project Coordination Unit on an inspection tour of the project on Monday expressed satisfaction with the works adding that the contractor has been directed to expedite the finishing and landscaping ahead of the commissioning by President William Ruto.
Dr Muoria who was accompanied by the State Department for Roads Principal Secretary (PS) Joseph Mbugua said the access roads and drainage was still a challenge adding that the National Coordination Unit was confident that the pending works will be done within the stipulated time.
“The national steering committee which I chair has been able to see the project. All the implementing agencies are here so that together we look at the works and learn from each other as we deliver this project,” he said.
Modern equipment for the facility, she said, has already been delivered to the polytechnic and will guarantee hands-on training for learners.
The project which targets to develop the regional textile industry through the provision of high-quality training, problem solving, research, innovation, and technology transfer, she said was a testament of the national government’s commitment to offer cutting edge training through the TVET sector to benefit thousands of youths who miss out on university placement.
She said the government was determined to have all the learners who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) last year transition to tertiary institutions where measures have been put in place to offer high quality programmes to help them secure jobs locally and abroad.
“In the just released KCSE results we have about 716,000 learners who did not qualify to join university. These are the ones we are targeting to take up various programmes in our TVET institutions,” she said.
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) portal, she said, was open, urging the learners to apply for the various certificate and diploma programmes on offer.
Other programmes on offer, she said include micro-credentials where learners are equipped with specialised skills in their areas of interest among them, tiling, carpentry and walling. The programmes which are examinable by Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification (CDACC), she said were instrumental in equipping the youth with skills to help them secure jobs locally and abroad.
By Chris Mahandara
