The Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) is developing a strategy that will see more students enroll to technical and vocational training institutions across the country.
According to TVETA Director General Dr Kipkurui Langat, the strategy is also expected to increase employ-ability of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates as well as expand the scope on innovation within TVET institutions. He was present at the Rift Valley Technical Training Institute (RVTTI) in Eldoret during the first day of the fifth RVTTI International TVET and Interdisciplinary Conference.
Dr. Langat lamented that few students were applying to join technical and vocational institutions due to negative attitude in the courses they offer. The TVETA Director General blamed the negative attitude towards technical colleges on parents and students. “This year, the declared capacity in TVET institutions was 41,550 but only 11,500 candidates applied for admission to those institutions across the country,” said Dr Langat.
“Negative perception in TVET has persisted over time and this will require re-branding process which will be achieved through development and implementation of re-branding strategy within five year’s plan,” he added.
Langat insisted that it’s only through TVET training that the country will achieve a middle-income status with the growth of 10 per cent per year as envisioned in the vision 2030. At the same time, the Eldoret National Polytechnic Principal Josphat Sawe called for a change of attitude and perception towards technical courses in the country.
Sawe challenged parents, students as well as policy makers to view TVET positively. He said despite government’s efforts to equip TVET institutions with modern facilities, the enrollment was still below the expectations. “The government has been supporting TVET to an extent of investing in state of the art learning equipment but unfortunately the facilities end up being underutilized due to low enrollment to those institutions,” said Sawe. He said there is high demand for technicians in various areas across the country but with low enrollment in technical institutions, most of the companies are forced to import their workforce.
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