Nakuru: For decades, the university has been viewed as the gateway to status, stability, and professional careers. On the other hand, Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions carried a stigma of being a fallback. The above scenario is, however, changing, with a growing number of youth who scored impressive grades in last year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KSCE) in Nakuru County challenging the narrative.
According to Kenya News Agency, faced with a labour market that rewards practical skills, many students in Nakuru who have qualified to join university have instead opted for shorter, more affordable, and industry-aligned TVET programmes. One such student is Mercy Wairimu, who after scoring an A- (minus) grade in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination in 2025, vowed to pursue her passion. She wants to be an electrical technician. Luckily for the 18-year-old, her parents are supportive of her dream and have allowed her to enrol at a technical vocational education training institute to chase her dream.
Ms Wairimu joins more than 50 students at Rift Valley Institute of Business Studies (RVIBS) who have qualified for university admission but have opted to pursue diploma courses at the technical and vocational institution. Dressed in a navy blue overall, Ms Wairimu is the only female student in a class of 28 pursuing an electrical technician course at RVIBS in Nakuru. She is a trailblazer in a technical field regarded as the preserve of men. She was happy that with technical skills there were ready jobs and guaranteed incomes. Unfortunately, she said women shunned the practical skills sector because most of them do not want to handle dirty stuff, yet they want money to pay their bills.
Official data shows that enrolment in public universities has dipped in recent years, leading to the intake at technical colleges offering diploma and certificate courses increasing to 22 percent. The increasing number of students qualified for university entry that are snubbing university education is a departure from the past when degrees were viewed as a ticket for job placement and promotions in the workplace.
Ms Wairimu attributed the new trend to various initiatives by the government that have made technical education attractive, affordable and accessible to most Kenyan youth. 'The current administration has been reviving technical colleges, a departure from the trend set by previous regimes of converting mid-tier colleges into universities. This led to an increase in mismatch of skills and job market demands,' she said.
Rift Valley Institute of Business Studies (RVIBS) Director Mr John Gitau stated that TVET matches well with the competency-based curriculum (CBC) that puts more emphasis on nurturing practical skills among learners as opposed to amassing certificates based on theory learning. He said in its effort to boost the popularity of technical schools, the National Treasury rolled out tax rebates for employers that offered one-year internships to TVET graduates, further boosting the appeal of the institutions.
He expressed concern that currently, the country was fighting a skills shortage that was hindering the smooth implementation of industrial growth, adding that TVETs are centres that produce highly skilled manpower to ensure industrial development, which is still lagging behind in the country. 'We must refocus higher education by promoting technical and vocational training and changing the degree curriculum,' Mr Gitau said.
18-year-old John Njoroge, who scored a B plain in the 2025 KCSE, is elated that the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) is now recognising certificates issued to informally trained artisans and professionals who pass practical tests conducted by various authorities. Under the new arrangement, several examination bodies issue academic certificates based on practical performance as opposed to written examinations.
Phillip Gichohi, an electrical installation instructor, emphasised that an effective Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) system will play a key role in achieving Kenya's leap to industrialisation and Vision 2030. Mr Gichohi expressed concern that Kenya is grappling with a severe shortage of qualified electrical technicians, plumbers, and masons, as students avoid technical education in favour of courses leading to perceived glamorous careers, leaving property developers at the mercy of uncertified artisans and compromised standards in the construction sector.
He noted that Kenya could be sitting on a labour time bomb in the face of glaring skills shortages in the critical building sub-sector, calling for speedy interventions from both the government and the private sector. The perception that technical jobs pay poorly is partly to blame, indicating a mismatch between the job market needs and training.