Technical & Vocational Training (TVET) is education and training that equips young people with relevant skills and knowledge, with emphasis on honing practical skills in careers like; plumbing, mechatronics, nursing, masonry, culinary arts among others.
Looking back, TVET in Kenya can be traced to colonial times, when apprenticeship was the way people acquired skills. This continued after independence and well into the early 90’s, with TVET evolving through different education systems, yet retaining its focus on hands on training.
However, in the mid 90’s this began to change due to the competitive nature of examinations and emerging emphasis on high scores and academic performance, which for a time resulted in the purging of practical subjects in high school like art and craft, wood work and carpentry. Inevitably, TVET suffered and for a long time there was very little interest in hands on training.
In 2013 Kenya embarked on TVET reforms to address this matter and enacted the TVET ACT 2013. The ACT enabled the operationalization and regulation of the sub sector making it possible for TVET institutions, especially private institutions to operate within stipulated guidelines and structure, focusing on competency based education and training.
The stakeholders in TVET ecosystem can be defined to include; the government, private sector (industry/training providers), regulators, certification bodies and students. It is important to understand how private sector is incorporated as a TVET strategic partner. This will help unlock some of the key challenges which have created bottlenecks in actualizing the TVET reforms.
In the larger scheme of things, the involvement of private sector will help alleviate the growing unemployment problems in Kenya and help integrate young people into the job market. This is especially true in the current situation which has been made worse by COVID-19 pandemic. According to KNBS statistics as at March 2020 the unemployment levels in Kenya stood at 10.4%, with COVID it is possible it most probably worsened.
That said, the role of private sector as envisaged in the wider TVET ecosystem is to; provide support in curriculum development, identify gaps in the curriculum, guide and recommend occupational standards, participate in sector skills advisory councils and advise on labor market demands.
Countries, such as Germany, Finland and the Netherlands have developed their technical workforce by having robust partnerships between TVET institutions and industry. This is demonstrated by their widely successful industry-academia linkages, which have contributed immensely to the development of their economies. In their case industry provides opportunities for apprenticeship for TVET students and also provides part time trainers. Other ways in which private sector is involved, is when they participate in knowledge exchange and skills mapping. By doing this they help provide requisite information on skills which are in demand now and in the future. The job market is very dynamic and constant labour market information is critical to inform research and policy direction in skills training, in any country.
It is expected that by 2023, Kenya will be training about 3million young people in TVET institutions. This is because of the 100 % transition directive which requires every student graduating from secondary school to be enrolled in a tertiary institution. As the country experiences positive growth in the numbers of young people joining tertiary education, there needs to be concerted efforts to ensure that they get employment opportunities upon graduation. A good beginning would be to institutionalize internship, mentorship and apprenticeship programs. This will not only allow them gain soft skills training but will also enhance the quality of TVET graduates.
Another significant role played by private sector, is complementing government efforts by providing training in private TVET colleges. According to Education statistics available to (Kenya Private Sector Alliance) KEPSA, there were over 600 registered private TVET institutions with a population of over 260,000 students.
This complements government’s responsibility of providing education to young people to further their tertiary education. Investors in private training institutions contribute immensely to the economic development of the country, creating direct employment to thousands of trainers and non-teaching staff at absolutely no cost to the tax payer.
As the country focuses on growing a competent and skilled population, constant and adequate interaction between and among stakeholders in the TVET ecosystem is necessary for the successful implementation of TVET reforms. There is certainly, great potential and promise that can be achieved through these collaborations. By working together, industry and TVET institutions can improve the quality of graduates and this will help advance the TVET reform agenda.