The process of rebranding Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) centers to meet the ever-changing market demand has kicked off.
Principal Secretary, State Department for TVETs, Dr. Esther Muoria made the remarks during a tree planting drive in Trans Nzoia County, where she revealed the move will pave the way for the establishment of industries within TVET institutions across the country.
Dr. Muoria said the process, which has seen the approval of the Cabinet, will ensure an enabling environment for trainees to acquire hands-on practical skills and also help strengthen the link between training institutions and industries by ensuring students graduate with skills that directly meet labour market demands.
The PS pointed out that Kitale National Polytechnic, which has one of the largest automotive training garages in the region, allowing students to acquire practical mechanical skills using modern equipment, is among institutions expected to benefit from the initiative due to its advanced training infrastructure.
“We are rebranding TVET institutions by bringing investors and industries closer to our trainees. We are engaging industries to tell us the type of graduates they need so that TVETs can produce them,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Muoria revealed that several institutions have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with companies, including paint manufacturers such as Crown Paints and Kenya Seed Company, to support practical demonstrations and ensure students are trained on the entire production chain from A to Z.
On TVET enrolment, the PS said the government has recorded a remarkable increase, which has grown from 297,000 trainees to over 800,000 across the country.
However, she added the government targets to increase the numbers to two million trainees by the end of 2026, reflecting on the growing recognition of technical skills as a driver of economic growth.
Hailing the national government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which has fully taken shape at the grassroots, Dr. Muoria said the projects which have been rolled out have created employment opportunities for thousands of TVET trainees.
By Isaiah Nayika and Winnie Jelagat
