KTTC re-brands with expanded mandate

KTTC Graduand Irene Kibet Jepchirchir(right) receiver her Agriculture Engineering Certificate from Ministry of Education Administration Secretary David Yatich during the Kenya Technical Trainers College (KTTC) 43rd graduation ceremony and the launch of Kenya School of TVET at the College in Gigiri, Nairobi on December 16, 2022. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Kenya Technical Trainers College, (KTTC) has been renamed with redefined role and expanded mandate.

The institution will now be called Kenya School of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The College Council has also urged the government to shelve its plans to relocate the institution to pave way for a hotel and commercial training wing.

The college also launched a magnificent multi-million commercial and training hotel to add on a state-of-the-art recording studio for online classes, and a TVET Google hub.

The institution shall now be a professional development and capacity building body of TVET institutions.

The school's director, Dr Edwin Tarno said many competent technical trainers with programmes that are tailored to meet the skills and knowledge demands of the TVET sector have been churned at the college since its inception.

"As we transition to the Kenya School of TVET, we will strive to ensure that the institution remains a global leader in technical training. We will focus on pre-service and in-service of trainers as well as Continuous Professional Development of professionals in the TVET sector,'' he said.

He said the school structure will address the needs of the TVET sector and the labour market with a need to infuse blended learning as a strategy to minimise disruption of learning.

He was speaking during the 43rd graduation ceremony and inauguration of the new status of the college.

The Council Chairman, Dennis Awori urged the government to look for other alternatives than going for the school's land.

''It is our sincere view that land can be acquired elsewhere within the environs of Gigiri to achieve this objective without interfering with the stability of this institution. It is therefore our request that plans for relocation of the institution be shelved and alternative land be identified for the diplomatic enclave,'' Awori said.

Awori said the success stories of countries are written at technical training institutions which are the bedrock of industrialisation and economic stability.

"We certainly need policies that will create good will between the industry and the TVET institutions. This will guide the collaboration of the industry and the TVET institutions and give our trainees the exposure they need to fit in the marketplace,'' he said.

KTTC has also initiated a scholarship programme to motivate graduates of TVET institutions willing to take up careers in technical training where 20 learners were offered a full scholarship worth Sh100,000 each.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said the government transformed the institution to keep abreast with changes in technology and market trends, the trainer needs to undertake continuous professional development courses.

"With the expanded mandate, Kenya School of TVET will provide a multi-level system of post-training programmes relevant to the needs of the TVET sector as well as provide training of assessors for Recognition of Prior Learning as well as assess Recognition of Prior Learning candidates,'' Machogu said in a statement read on his behalf by David Yatich, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Education.

With the last cohort of 2,508 learners graduating under Kenya Technical Trainers College with Diploma and Certificates, the college will now be able to undertake pre-service and in-servicing of technical trainers, as well as offer other competitive short courses for upward mobility of staff in the TVET Sector.

''The Kenya School of TVET will have an expanded mandate which will put the TVET sector into a trajectory of being an emblem of excellence in Technical Education on the global scale,'' Machogu said.

Machogu said the technical colleges have recorded a 400 per cent increase in enrolment in the recent years due to increased government capitation and expansion of facilities in those institutions.