TVETs challenged to produce skilled personnel

By Peter Ochieng 

Industrialization Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Juma Mukhwana has challenged Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVET) centers to produce graduates who meet modern needs and aspirations of Kenya’s industrialization agenda.

Dr. Mukhwana, speaking in Nairobi during the launch of Kenya Skills Development Community of Practice (KSD-CoP) on Thursday, underscored the importance of rolling out graduates, with skills relevant to the job market not only in Kenya, but globally.

“It is also important to appreciate the newly launched Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy where those in industry with skills but have no academic papers can be certified to help them access formal employment opportunities,” said the PS.   

County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), the PS pointed out, that were vital for local production besides being a dependable avenue for youth with matching skills.

“We have a gap in skills mismatch in Kenya mainly because of the disconnect between demand and supply. Part of the skills we need are not just for production but to develop industries according to technological advances,” he observed.

On her part, the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) Director General Dr. Alice Kande addressed the importance of sustaining linkages with the industry and TVET systems.

“A lot is happening in terms of implementing regional qualification framework as there is a lot of labour movement across the region. Therefore, we have to standardize our training so that we have qualifications that are globally recognized,” said Dr. Kande.

She added that the implementation of a robust RPL system will ensure that skills and competencies relevant to the industry needs, are not only recognized, but certified.

She emphasized that KNQA will ensure the maintenance of standards, quality, and relevance at all levels of Kenya's education and training sector.

“The Authority has established and maintains the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF) that provides a system for the articulation, classification, registration, quality assurance, and monitoring and evaluation of national qualifications as developed in accordance with KNQF Act,” she added.

The Kenya Skills Development Community of Practice is being championed by the government with support from International Labour Organization (ILO).

It seeks to among others, promote youth employability, lifelong learning and sustainable socio-economic development, through knowledge and expertise dissemination, learning and professional development and improvement of practice in skills development in Kenya.