Muoria: TVETs in a rush to meet global labour market demands

TVET Principal Secretary Esther Muoria during a past interview at Jogoo House, Nairobi. [Filei, Standard]

The Department of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has said the country will be ready to churn out graduates that will meet the demands of global industries in the next two years.

According to the department, measures have been put in place to ensure the country’s TVET graduates have the requisite skills to work for international industries, following a labour export deal signed by President William Ruto in Germany.

Speaking during the 13th Annual International Conference at the Eldoret National Polytechnic, TVET Principal Secretary Esther Muoria said there were a number of steps being taken in Kenya’s bid to export labour.

“We are working hard to ensure that TVET graduates have the requisite skills to work for global industries,” Dr Muoria said.

The PS said the introduction of Competency-Based Education and Training in TVETs was among the steps billed to produce the right skills for the global industry.

Dr Muoria said the department has brought back examiners of practical courses as it streamlines pragmatic training.

“We are currently running dual training where trainees are in class 50 per cent of their time and the remaining period in the industry.

Several trainees exhibited their innovations during the research and innovations conference.

“I am encouraged because we are reaching out to the industry players. For instance, Kenya Power is among the exhibitors. We are comparing notes with the industry and other institutions,” the PS said.

She said a number of higher education institutions among them the University of Eldoret were partnering with TVETs in research.

Dr Muoria said the innovations showcased during the conference can be upgraded to top-notch technologies and products.

She further said that the equipping of 70 TVETs by the government with Sh13 billion worth of state-of-the-art equipment under a partnership with China, among others, was among the steps the department was taking to make training institutions internationally competitive.

Eldoret National Polytechnic Principal Charles Koech said the institution had signed 40 industry linkages to support practical learning.