Mombasa: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions have been urged to strengthen industry linkages, embrace Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), and prioritize practical skills to enhance graduates' employability and align training with market demands.
According to Kenya News Agency, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Julius Ogamba, has challenged TVET institutions to prioritize practical competence over theoretical knowledge as the country transitions to Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET). Ogamba emphasized the necessity for credible, standardized assessment systems aligned with industry expectations and continuous curriculum review in partnership with employers. He stressed the importance of up-skilling and professional certification for trainers.
The quality of training, the CS noted, will be measured by the employability of graduates rather than enrolment numbers, amidst efforts to enroll two million learners in TVET institutions. Speaking at the closing of a three-day Kenya Association of Technical Training Institutions (KATTI) Leadership Engagement and Capacity Building Workshop in Mombasa, Ogamba called for enhanced functionality of Industry Advisory Boards, scaling up apprenticeship, and dual-training models to ensure workplace-based training for every learner.
Ogamba insisted that curriculums must cater to industry needs, ensuring no trainee graduates without substantial exposure to the workplace. He highlighted the necessity for deeper collaboration with the private sector to ensure co-investment and curriculum relevance, moving Public-Private Partnerships from concept to practice.
The CS also advocated for the integration of technology in training, emphasizing the importance of equipping learners with digital skills and integrating digital tools, automation, and Artificial Intelligence into training programs. He urged institutions to invest in smart classrooms, strengthen e-learning systems, and digitize administrative and academic processes.
TVET is central to Kenya's economic transformation, Ogamba affirmed, serving as a bridge between young people and productive livelihoods, and between policy ambition and practical delivery. The future of Kenya's economy, he emphasized, will be shaped by the quality, relevance, and adaptability of its skills base. Principals were directed to ensure their institutions' strategies reflect reality, respond to labor market demands, align with national economic priorities, and adapt to evolving industry needs.
Ogamba further disclosed that many institutions heavily rely on government capitation as their primary funding source, with income-generating initiatives remaining underdeveloped and underutilized. He called for strengthened financial accountability and internal control systems to ensure prudent use of public resources and transparency in revenue management, asserting financial sustainability as foundational to institutional independence and long-term growth.
Principal Secretary for TVET, Dr. Esther Muoria, highlighted the need for measurable implementation of reforms within institutions, noting the investment of public resources in capacity-building forums. Despite training and sensitization on reforms such as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and delivery of digital jobs, she expressed concern over weak follow-through, resulting in disadvantaged trainees and stagnant institutional performance.
Dr. Muoria advocated for TVET workshops to become centers of production, using robotics, automation, and digital fabrication to deliver solutions that serve society and respond to national needs. She cited the Toyota Kenya partnership as a strong model of co-training, affirming the growing trust in TVET institutions to not only train but deliver services, as evidenced by the servicing of government vehicles following the National Treasury directive.