The Ministry of Education, through the State Department for Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET), will ensure competency-based education and training (CBET) is fully implemented across all the TVET institutions in the country.
Speaking at the Eldoret National Polytechnic in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu, during a CBET delivery workshop for all TVET principals in Rift Valley, the Principal Secretary State Department for TVET, Dr. Esther Muoria, said the department will roll out the CBET model of training and at the same time recraft the curriculum to address the skills gap among the youth.
She added that they have also begun retooling the trainers to enable them to pass over to youth industry-based skills.
She noted that they have re-energised the curriculum through the Curriculum Delivery Assessment and Certification Council (CDAC), an examining body of TVETs.
“We have been going around other regions to ensure that CBET is being well delivered; we have put in place a CBET delivery unit to go around the whole country and see to it that we have shifted from theory training to competency-based training,” she said.
She further noted that CBET is skilling the youth through partnerships with industry and other working partners to ensure 50 to 70 per cent of the training of the youth is going to be done in industry and the other 50 to 30 per cent in the classroom setting.
“One of the other things that the department wants to do is train with the industry, if it is the textile industry, like in this region, we have Rivatex that has developed an MoU with this institution so that our students train partly here and partly at Rivatex,” said Dr. Muoria.
She indicated that by the time our young people are graduating, they will not only have the skills but also have been integrated into that industry.
Dr. Muoria said that CBET is ideal for ensuring the youth acquire the requisite skills to work in industries outside the country.
She added that the department, in collaboration with GIZ and other working partners, is doing its best to link all the technical institutions to industries, especially the Jua Kali industries and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to ensure the youth learn skills.
The PS hinted at the TVET framework for assessment and certification on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), where someone who may have acquired skills and experience in a certain field, like arts and others, can be assessed in the TVETs and be awarded a certificate.
On his part, TVET/CDACC CEO/Council Secretary, Prof. Kisilu Kitainge, said that they are going to develop TVET curriculum while reviewing the one in place to ensure that it complies with the expectations of industry.
“We are continuing to review and also develop others that have not been in existence; the assessment is ongoing,” said Kitainge.
Prof. Kitainge said that the council is set to release all certificates by December 20th this year for all CBET assessments for those who did their assessments earlier.
The CEO revealed that there are 7256 students currently sitting for assessment and that the number is expected to rise to more than 100,000 for the March 2024 assessment.
By Ekuwam Sylvester and Judy Too
