The State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has launched a sensitization campaign to increase student enrollment at technical institutions across the country, with the Ahmed Shahame Mwidani Technical Training Institute in Changamwe, Mombasa, set to be among the selected institutions to undertake the enrollment campaign.
Speaking to the press after a joint meeting with National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) and the Ahmed Shahame Mwidani TTI administration, Benson Mwakima, the State Department for TVET Coast Region Marketing Officer, said the campaign seeks to inform the local community about the skills training opportunities available at Ahmed Shahame Mwidani Technical Training Institute (TTI).
“We are going to the ground to ensure that the people are sensitized, the youth, the elderly, and all others, about the technical education that we offer and the opportunity of skilling,” Mwakima said.
He said the campaign targets a broad spectrum of society, including youth who completed Form Four, those who left school after Class Eight, adults seeking to acquire new skills, and individuals with practical skills but lacking formal certification, who can benefit through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme.
Mwakima disclosed that the government has reduced tuition fees from Sh35,000 to Sh22,336 per module to make technical training more accessible, with the revised rates taking effect for students enrolling in May.
“We are really grateful to the President and the State Department for TVET for reviewing the fees downwards. For students who enroll this May, they will pay Sh22,336 per module instead of Sh35,000,” he said, adding that the department would work with stakeholders to ensure funding mechanisms are in place to support trainees.
Mwakima said the campaign was a collaborative directive between TVET Principal Secretary Dr Esther Muoria and Interior Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo, aimed at extending outreach to the grassroots level.
He noted that the Coast Region recorded a new student intake of 19,000 in January, a figure he described as low relative to the number of students who sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations and did not attain the minimum university entry grade.
“Acquiring technical skills makes our youth employable both locally and internationally. It also empowers them to start their own businesses and employ others. The government cannot employ everyone, but by equipping people with relevant skills, they become self-reliant and economically independent,” Mwakima said.
Changamwe Assistant County Commissioner Mebakari Rashid, who represented the Changamwe Deputy County Commissioner at the meeting, pledged full cooperation from NGAO in the sensitization drive.
“Our youth enrolling and acquiring skills not only empowers them but also gives them something to look forward to, so that they do not turn to crime to sustain themselves,” Rashid said.
She said NGAO would mobilise the community through barazas, engaging village elders, assistant chiefs, chiefs, and other local administrators to identify and encourage youth to enroll, with the collective goal of meeting the institution’s target of 10,000 trainees.
Ahmed Shahame Mwidani TTI Deputy Principal for Academic Affairs, Esther Mbuthia, said targeted marketing efforts since 2023 had already yielded results, with enrollment rising from between 300 and 500 students to the current 1,187 students.
“We have done marketing since 2023, when our numbers had stagnated, and after a good marketing campaign, we were able to push the numbers to 1,187 students currently,” Mbuthia said.
She thanked PS Muoria for including the institution among the beneficiaries of the national marketing campaign, alongside Kenya Coast National Polytechnic and Likoni Technical and Vocational Institution in the county.
Mbuthia urged community members to take advantage of the wide range of courses offered at the institution across eight departments, including automotive engineering, welding and fabrication, refrigeration and air conditioning, motor vehicle mechanics, electrical engineering, mechatronics, food technology, information and communications technology, maritime logistics and transport, and clearing and forwarding, among others.
“We are opening our doors and urging all to come and join us. Our trainers are experienced and well qualified,” Mbuthia said.
By Sitati Reagan
