Train for standards, PS urges institutes

Dr Kevit Desai,Principal Secretary , State Department of Vocational and Technical Training (TVET) unveils the plague to mark the launch of the launch of Competency Based Education Training [CBET] program at the Kabete National Polytechnic. [Gerard Mutunga]

The government has urged technical training institutes to partner with various stakeholders and industry players to produce quality graduates.

Technical and Vocational Training Principal Secretary Kevit Desai said both the academia and industry players play a key role in assessing the competency of technical students.

“As TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) drivers, you must ensure those that graduate from your institutes meet the industry requirements. This can only be done when we work as a team in order to achieve the target goal,” Dr Desai said.

He was speaking during the Competency-Based Education Training (CBET) implementation policy forum at Kabete National Polytechnic.

He said the government is in the process of hiring 2,000 trainers of trainees for the institutes.

“We are aware of the shortage of trainers of trainees in most of our TVET institutes and that’s why as the government we shall be hiring more to bridge the deficit. This will be done in line with each institute’s need,” Desai said.

The CBET implementation policy framework is aimed at ensuring the curriculum taught in all TVET institutes are in line with industry need.

Dr Desai said the process is ongoing in all the institutes countrywide. “In order to establish occupational standards which can be measured, we must ensure competent training."

Under the CBET implementation policy forum, all national polytechnics and trainers colleges with an enrollment of 3,000 students will be required to develop at least five CBET programmes per year, while technical vocational centres with less than 3,000 students will be required to develop at least three such programmes annually.

Technical institutes are also required to conduct a research of their students who have graduated.

“TVET institutes must know where their graduates are working and those who have ventured into entrepreneurship. This data will help the government in policy making as those students are ambassadors of TVET once they have graduated. This must be carried out by both public and private TVET institutes,” the PS said.

The programme ensures there is data on the number of trainees enroled in CBET, number of CBET-TVET graduates in the labour market and number of CBET progammes implemented.