Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has reiterated the government’s commitment to the growth and development of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector in order to fulfil its flagship projects.
Speaking during the inaugural graduation ceremony at Riragia Technical and Vocational College (TVC) in Marani Sub County on Tuesday, CS Ogamba said TVET is the bridge between knowledge and productivity that will unlock the youth’s potential in Kenya to industrialise the economy.
“TVET is the engine behind the realisation of Kenya’s two boldest visions, Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA),” noted the CS.
He urged Kenyans to embrace TVET in order to acquire skilled manpower to participate in the industrialisation of Kenya and attain the status of an industrial nation.
Ogamba pointed out the importance of the TVET sector in building a workforce that is not only skilled but also adaptable, innovative, and prepared to meet the demands of both the current and the future industries.
The CS lauded Riragia TVC for holding its first graduation ceremony where 203 graduands were feted and extended the congratulatory messages to the graduands for attaining such a milestone.
Riragia TVC has experienced tremendous growth since its inception in 2019, with a current population of 2,600 students and the institution is aiming to achieve the 6,000 target for enrolment given to Technical and Vocational Colleges (TVCs).
Consequently, Ogamba encouraged the institution’s management to leverage on the collaboration by the Ministry of Education and the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) to help in marketing TVET programmes across the county and country at large in order to improve TVET enrolment up to two million by December 2025.
In addition, the CS stated strides made by the government in reforming the TVET sector to ensure that it is aligned with global trends, industry standards, and the needs of our growing workforce.
“In September 2023, the government rolled out the implementation of the Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) curriculum to enhance the quality of training and produce an internationally competitive workforce to compete both at the local and international employment opportunities,” he said.
According to the CS, the CBET implementation seeks to move the country away from traditional theory-based learning to a more practical, skill-based approach that better prepares graduates for the job market.
Further, he pointed out that the Education Ministry had modularised the CBET curricula into short, examinable competency units leading to micro, part, and full qualifications implementable within three to six months.
At the moment, 188 programmes had already been modularised and the implementation of the said programmes started in May 2025.
The CS also noted the recent approval of the Dual Training Policy, which marked a significant milestone in Kenya’s TVET sector, adding that it would solve the historical skills mismatch in the colleges.
“Further, to ensure that all Kenyans are brought into the ecosystem of skills qualification, the government has stepped up efforts in implementing the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL),” added Ogamba.
According to the CS, the RPL initiative will increase the number of Jua Kali artisans and MSMEs that have been assessed and certified through RPL from the current 5,170 to 700,000 by December 31, 2025.
Through the support of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), 1,850 Jua Kali artisans are set to be supported for RPL certification.
In conclusion, the CS stated that the government will continue to equip TVET institutions with state-of-the-art equipment in order to advance the TVET agenda.
By Mercy Osongo
