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Nakuru County strengthening TVETS to unlock the potential of youths

Nakuru County Government is working with the National Government and other stakeholders in strengthening technical and vocational education to enhance the country’s capacity to offer practical training that would accelerate economic growth.

County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education Ms Zipporah Wambui said the objective of the collaboration was to use the power of technical vocational education and training (TVET) to push the potential of young people to positively contribute to economic growth.

The CECM explained that the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) was designed to accelerate economic growth by investing in critical pillars that create employment for millions of skilled youths.

As the County implements policies, programmes and projects which create jobs for the youth, Ms Wambi emphasized the need for the County to simultaneously equip millions of young Kenyans with the education, training and skills necessary to enhance their productivity in a dynamic, globalized and competitive labour market.

Speaking during a visit at Kongasis Vocational Training Center in Eburu-Mbaruk Ward, within Gilgil Sub-County, whose construction started in 2013 but later stalled, the County official said the facility was set to undergo a major facelift before being operationalized to offer market-driven courses that would equip youth with skills that would help create employment opportunities among the youths in the area.

“Governor Susan Kihika’s administration is committed to work out public-private partnerships to boost investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions,” stated the CECM.

Ms Wambui observed that increased enrolment in TVETS and polytechnics had been facilitated by initiatives that both levels of Government had been putting in place, including heavy investment in TVET infrastructure to stimulate economic growth and equity.

She was happy that both the national and county Government had upgraded and equipped TVET institutions and polytechnics with state-of-the-art equipment and machinery to ensure Kenyans trained in TVET acquire skills that are globally competitive and emphasized the growing need for students to pursue technical education in light of the rising number of high school graduates.

The CECM stated that in the world over, the labour market was transiting from theoretical expertise to practical-based skills with a growing number of Kenyans with good academic qualifications being unemployed because of a mismatch of skills and career choices adding that there was a growing shortage of technicians and artisans in the country.

She noted that in order to achieve the Kenya Vision 2030, the country needs 90,000 technicians and over 400,000 artisans to plug the current shortage.

Ms Wambui pledged that the County administration was focusing on strengthening the ties between vocational training and industry needs as a way of addressing the critical issue of youth employability in the country in addition to championing a dual Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) programme which she said was an educational approach that combined theoretical classroom instruction with practical workplace training.

The CECM pointed out that Governor Kihika’s leadership was keen to match skills with certificates so that those with skills were given recognition and those with papers could be equipped with the necessary skills to drive the economy forward.

While acknowledging that proper TVET-Industry linkages were essential in meeting one of the biggest challenges of TVETS- delivering employable graduates to meet the growing industry demand, the official said the difficulty primarily arises from the lack of practice-oriented training and inadequate industry engagement.

“Together with our partners, we are building a workforce that will propel Nakuru County to an economic giant in future,” she stated.

Ms Wambui indicated that the County Government’s administration was working out a partnership with several private companies aimed at equipping students in Youth Polytechnics and Technical Vocational Education Training Institutes (TVETs) with hands-on skills in an industry setting during their time of study.

She said that the venture was geared towards bridging the skills gap among TVET graduates by ensuring that students spent at least 50 percent of their training working with relevant industries.

She announced that the County Government had set aside funds towards youth empowerment initiatives including upgrading facilities at the County’s Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) with the aim of meeting required standards and attracting more youth enrolments.

Nakuru county has 24 youth polytechnics spread across the 11 sub counties. According to the Technical Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), there are two accredited public TVET institutions in the county- the Dairy Training Institute in Naivasha and the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology in Njoro, and a total of 18 accredited private TVET institutions.

By Esther Mwangi

 

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