The Government of Kenya is making efforts to significantly increase enrolment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions over the next five years. Currently, there are approximately 350,000 students enrolled in TVET institutions, and the goal is to double this number to reach between 750,000 to 1 million youths.
Stanley Maindi, the Director of Technical Services at the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), highlighted the importance of TVET in providing employment opportunities but noted that the sector has yet to reach its full potential despite significant investment.
There is a concerted effort to change perceptions about TVET, which has historically been seen as a last resort for those who have failed academically. Instead, it is being recognized as a vital pathway to acquiring valuable skills and contributing to the workforce.
Maindi emphasized the need to modernize and transform TVET to align with the demands of the labor market and support the national economic agenda. The celebrations marking 100 years of TVET aim to address existing challenges by re-branding and re-positioning TVET institutions to promote youth employability, mobility, decent work, and lifelong learning.
The TVET at 100 celebrations were inaugurated in March, with the lighting of a torch in Nyeri. The torch is being carried throughout the country to raise awareness of the crucial role that TVET institutions play in the development of skilled human capital and the economy as a whole.
