Kenya’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVETS) institutes should embrace modern training approaches and strengthen collaboration with industry, to help the country produce a workforce capable of meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
According to Kenya Industrial Training Institute (KITI) Director Engineer Wabwile Simiyu technological advancement is transforming every sector of the economy, creating new demands for productivity, innovation and efficiency.
Engineer Simiyu explained that industries were increasingly adopting advanced technologies in manufacturing, agriculture, logistics and building management systems requiring workers to be versed with up-to-date technical competencies.
He said Digitization was rapidly changing the skills-sets needed in diverse fields by virtue that employers were searching for human resources with proficiencies in artificial intelligence, automation, big data and collaborative technologies.
“The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is evolving the physical learning environment, and we need to accommodate and encourage the uptake of digital skills,” he stated.
The Director added that there were developments ushering in unprecedented scientific and technological advancements with capabilities to green the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) education ecosystem, adding that the re-engineering was impacting both how traditional markets are operating and the expertise that will enable TVET learners to stay relevant and benefit from fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
Speaking during the institute’s public engagement at its main campus in Nakuru Engineer Simiyu pointed out that to create synergy in the wake of greening the education ecosystem, TVET institutions have to adopt digital innovation, adaptive to deliver intended learning outcomes through digital-driven applications delivery to accelerate creation of green jobs.
As the pace of digital transformation evolves, the Director said its relevance to investment in new digital technologies for TVETS was inevitable, adding that TVET learning experiences and knowledge sharing could be made more flexible through simulation-based learning techniques.
“Adopting the Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) framework ensures training matches industry standards, providing graduates with in-demand technical and digital proficiencies,” the official elaborated.
The Kenya Industrial Training Institute (KITI) is a State vocational and entrepreneurship training center operating under the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry. It equips school leavers, artisans, and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) employees with practical, hands-on technical and business skills to foster self-employment and industrial growth.
The Director challenged TVET instructors to embrace emerging technologies in their pedagogy and to develop skills to enable the youth leverage on the opportunities that come with the fourth and fifth industrial revolution including the jobs of the future thus bridging the skills supply and demand gap.
Engineer Simiyu indicated that Kenyan TVETs need to forge robust linkages and connections with manufacturing concerns and service industries as one way of addressing youth underemployment in the labour market.
The Director observed that involving industry in the development of technical training curriculum could help to address the shortage of technical skills in the domestic and commercial sector. He said allowing technical institutions to students to spend a large portion of their time in industry will have them gain hands-on experience.
“At KITI we are committed to ensuring that training offered to our students is strengthened so that what is coming out is what is required in the industry. The common denominator of industrial economies is that they have invested heavily in education systems that strongly emphasize technical skills,” he assured.
As such, he added they have been able to match the growing demand for new skill sets in a fast-evolving economic environment with the appropriate training models.
The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has identified linkages between TVETS, government and private sector as a driver of an advanced industrial manpower base.
While hailing the State for making policy and curriculum changes aimed at providing young TVET students with competitive skills for self-employment and making vocational training more appealing to youth, in order to address the shortage of required skills in the job market, the Director stated that trainees need to spend at least 25 per cent of their time in class and 75 per cent gaining hands-on experience in the localized models.
Engineer Simiyu stated that since 2013 when the Technical Vocational Education and Training Act was enacted, the country has made positive strides in creating the right policy and regulatory environment for technical training. He pointed out that this has seen TVET enrolment levels almost double in the past decade, a clear pointer to the pent-up demand for technical vocational training in Kenya.
He noted that Increased funding, enhanced regulations and robust communication campaigns by the government have resulted in TVET enrollment growing by nearly 300 per cent since 2013. This, he added, is attributed to, among others, the reforms in the sector that arose from the implementation of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act of 2013.
The Director indicated that the establishment of a regulatory body: the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), and the Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC) to oversee curriculum development, assessment and certification of programmes among other efforts have led to the development of more relevant, market-driven technical courses that aim to equip young people with employable skills.
He said Partnerships with the private sector could address the shortage of skill in the industry particularly the gaps in training between what is coming out of schools and what is needed in the market.
The official observed that involving the industry leaders early in the formulation of the curriculum enables them to direct what is needed in training in regard to the evolving technologies and equips the youth with market-driven skills.
Further, he said the disconnect between the industry and TVETS had watered down the value of certifications of the graduates from technical institutions owing to skill-gaps when joining the job market.
According to the Director the collaboration between technical institutions and industry also provides trainees with on-site mentor training.
Engineer Simiyu further called for strengthening collaborative linkages between government and the private sector in driving the TVET agenda in developing specialized short-term practical courses.
He noted that the government and private sector can also collaborate in research targeting the changing market environment and consumer trends. Engineer Simiyu observed that this builds a valuable knowledge base that the private sector and government can leverage to improve technical training and solve real economic problems.
According to the Director, evidence shows that providing technical skills training alone is not enough to empower young people to find and create jobs. He emphasized that more can be done to prepare young people to enter and excel in the labour market such as equipping them with wholesome skills, basing policies on available evidence and conducting robust communications activities to change attitudes towards TVET careers.
He added that TVET programmes should also incorporate Whole Youth Development skills such as entrepreneurship, communication, problem solving, relational skills and time management saying that much of the current TVET curriculum prioritizes students developing technical skills over soft skills.
His concerns come at a time when most tertiary colleges and national polytechnics have been converted to universities where more graduates than skilled artisans in crucial areas are being trained.
The Director regretted that polytechnics and other technical schools had been killed by converting them into universities, at the same time glorified university education at the expense of the rest of the training institutions.
Engineer Simiyu indicated that there is a need for youths to embrace blue as opposed to white collar jobs through training of artisans because labour is scarce in these fields.
The official said they were sensitizing Kenyans to encourage their children to undergo training in TVETs courses and other fields, adding that Artisan jobs were not attractive to many because there is a perception they are for primary and secondary school drop outs.
The Director said there was however a ray of hope after enhanced investments in TVET education by the state which was also giving out incentives to promote artisan businesses.
He further stated that product innovation was happening at a rapid pace that consumers are getting out of touch with the changes. This he said has created the need for certified workers to ensure efficient service delivery.
He emphasized that an effective Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) system will play a key role in achievement of the big four Government agenda and Vision 2030.
Engineer Simiyu informed TVET students that The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) was now recognizing certificates issued to informally trained artisans and professionals who pass practical tests conducted by various authorities.
Under the new arrangement, the Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examination Board (KASNEB), Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) and Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC) issues academic certificates based on practical performance as opposed to written examinations.
This effectively means that a jua kali trained, tailor, carpenter, mechanic, sculptor or a plumber who has never sat in a formal classroom or Technical Educational and Vocational Training Institutes (TVETS) may be issued with a recognized certificate just as his counterparts who have undergone years of formal training, the official added.
This is however subject to condition that one must practically demonstrate that he or she possesses the requisite skills before a relevant examination.
Engineer Simiyu argued that the success of Kenya’s growth ambitions hinged on an adequate supply of a critical mass of technical skills. He said in countries such as Japan, China, Germany and the Netherlands, the majority of those graduating from secondary school prefer technical colleges to universities.
“Technical colleges, if well-equipped and managed, are actually the bearing of a nation’s economy… these are the hands that do the actual job, conceptualized by professors, engineers, researchers and university scholars,” he pointed out.
However, he dismissed the idea that the rise in popularity of technical colleges could be interpreted to mean that university degrees and education are becoming useless. Instead, the Director noted the need for the two to work together to achieve a greater purpose of economic growth.
Engineer Simiyu hailed the government for intensified efforts to formally recognize and validate the skills of thousands of Kenyans working in the informal sector through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) program.
He said the move is a transformative initiative under the Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA) project.
RPL is a process that acknowledges learning acquired through multiple ways and involves identifying, evaluating and validating an individual’s knowledge, skills and attitudes, regardless of where they were acquired.
Engineer Simiyu pointed out that the RPL program was timely as only a fraction of Kenyans access formal job skill training through tertiary institutions, while millions gain work skill through on-the-job training.
RPL a national program spearheaded by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) and the State Department for TVET helps informal-sector workers especially those in the jua-kali sector (such as mechanics, plumbers, electricians, or masons) who possess valuable skills but lack formal academic papers get officially certified thereby bridging the gap between their practical expertise and formal academic credentials.
Engineer Simiyu noted that though Kenya’s workforce has demonstrated its potential through skills acquired via apprenticeship, the Jua Kali sector and Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) training institutions, these informally or non-formally obtained skills often go unrecognized limiting their contribution to the labour market and national progress.
He observed that millions of Kenyans in the workforce including cosmetologists, plumbers, masons, electricians, welders and landscaping experts among others have honed their skills through apprenticeships and on the job learning method yet majority of these individuals get excluded from the formal job market where certified recognition could significantly enhance their earning potential.
The RPL unit operates in close collaboration with the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), the TVET Authority (TVETA), and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC) to ensure assessments align with national educational.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can be assessed and certified by National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) or at all accredited National Polytechnics, public universities, and registered Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes across Kenya.
Candidates undergo a practical or oral assessment and once verified, they receive an official qualification that is recorded on the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF).
By Esther Mwangi/Dennis Rasto
