Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba has affirmed the government’s commitment to increase investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training to equip millions of Kenyan youths with the necessary skills and knowledge.
By the end of 2025, the Ministry of Education targets increasing the enrolment in TVETs from the current 500,000 learners to two million learners.
Speaking in Mombasa during the transformation of the old Mama Ngina Secondary School into a TVET college, Ogamba said the Government recognizes the transformative role of TVET in addressing the country’s socio-economic challenges, including youth unemployment, skills gaps, and poverty reduction.
“We reaffirm our pledge to ensure that no Kenyan is left behind when it comes to accessing quality technical training. We understand that for Kenya to achieve its ambitious development goals under Vision 2030, we must equip our workforce with the practical skills that are in high demand both in the local and global job markets,” he said.
Ogamba said the government was keen on ensuring that there was access, equity, and quality in TVET education, saying that will be achieved through the prioritization of the construction of new institutions and the expansion of existing ones to ensure every county has a modern TVET institution, thus bringing training closer to the people.
The government will also continue to offer various funding options to support students from all socio-economic backgrounds.
“Through this initiative, more young Kenyans can afford to enrol in technical courses without the burden of financial constraints,” Ogamba said.
He further said that they were carrying out intensive curriculum reforms and industry partnerships to ensure that TVET institutions offer programs that align with the needs of industries and emerging sectors such as digital technologies, renewable energy, and manufacturing.
The government is also stepping up efforts to promote TVET as a viable career path by changing the narrative around TVET education.
“This, is an important shift, as we want our youth to recognize the value of hands-on skills and the career opportunities they present,” he said, adding that the government wanted to ensure all learners have access to quality training to contribute to the country’s economic development.
To ensure learning is uninterrupted, last week, the government released Sh1.56 billion towards upkeep and tuition loan payments to 31,263 TVET and 33,863 university students.
“In the current Financial Year 2024/2025 alone, the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has disbursed Sh. 32.7 Billion for upkeep and tuition loans to 195,522 students in TVET and 390,612 in universities, respectively,” explained the CS.
He further assured learners in TVET institutions and universities that they will be fully supported by the Government to complete their studies.
Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (KCSE) graduates were urged to apply for available opportunities to pursue various courses in TVET institutions each time the Kenya Universities and Colleges Placement Service (KUCCPS) opens its portal.
The CS directed KUCCPS to conduct another application process for eligible TVET students by June 2025 to ensure a second intake took place by September 2025 after the placement of the first cohort of applicants in the May intake.
“In the same vein, I have asked KUCCPS to open its portal this month for the KCSE 2024 candidates to apply for placement into various programmes in private and public universities in the 2025/2026 Academic Year,” he said.
He urged all the 246,391 students who attained a mean grade of C+ and above in 2024 KCSE examinations to apply for placement once the portal was opened.
Technical University of Mombasa Vice Chancellor Prof. Laila Abubakar reiterated the need for synergy between TVET institutions and industries, stating, “TVET is hands-on; there should be a symbiotic relationship between training institutions and industries to enhance practical learning.”
By Sadik Hassan
