The Government in partnership with
African Development Bank has injected Sh335 million to Aldai Technical Training Institute (TTI) in Nandi County to finance infrastructure development, training equipment’s and capacity building.
State Department for Vocational and Technical Training, Principal Secretary, Dr Margaret Mwakima, stated that the government is committed to invest in Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions because of the critical role its graduates play in creating employment opportunities, adaptation and use of technologies that are crucial to transform Kenya into an industrial based economy.
“I urge Aldai TTI to take leadership in offering programmes that are relevant to industry needs and meet international standard. Graduates of this great institution should be able to gain employment in the global market and also become entrepreneurs,” stated Mwakima.
The TTI situated on a 50 acre piece of land offers various courses which include certificate in masonry, certificate in plumbing, certificate in Electrical and Electronic Engineering among others. The institution has 64 trainers with 504 students.
Speaking after commissioning the Electrical and Electronic complex, Mwakima said the Government has increased the number of TVET institutions in the country from 52 in 2013 to 238 in 2021 at a cost of Sh10.6 billion. Out of the 238 TVET institutions, 192 are operational and 46 are nearing completion.
“The vision of TVET is to deliver a high-quality competent workforce for sustainable, social, economic and environmental developments. Therefore, the government is committed to establish more technical institutions and provide the necessary resources,” she said.
The Principal Secretary noted that Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the Government Big 4 Agenda envisage the TVET sector as a key driving force to transforming into an industrialised, middle income Country that provides high quality life to all its citizens in a clean and secure environment.
She said the government has made sure that each County has a technical training institution to enable more youths who are unable to join higher learning institutions to enroll and learn various skills to address youth unemployment.
Speaking at the same event, Aldai MP, Cornelly Serem, said the CDF kitty has set aside Sh7 million to sponsor 500 youths who want to join the Institution.
“We are mobilising resources to enable more students to join the TTI so that they can equip themselves with practical skills which will enable them to either access gainful employment or otherwise venture into self-employment as craftsman, engineers, technicians to help bridge the unemployment gap,” he said
Kapsabet Anglican Church Bishop Rev Paul Korir, said on behalf of the church, they are happy to have an Institution around where youths can acquire various skills to better their lives.
“With the TTI around, we are actually empowering our young people so that they can be self-sustaining in terms of decision making and can never be manipulated because they have the knowledge and skills and can also create jobs for themselves,” he said.
Aldai TTI is one of the eight TVET institutions established under the first African Development Bank intervention in TVET in Kenya in 2009-2014 which benefitted a total of 27 institutions.
Its mission is to provide diversified vocational, technical and industrial skills relevant to market demands for sustainability, individual, national and global development.
By Linet Wafula
