By Roy Hezron
World Skills Kenya (WSK) has signed a three year deal with World Skill Germany (WSG) that will Kenya establish a WorldSkills movement and organize its inaugural national skills competition.
The deal which was signed at a virtual ceremony lead by Technical and Vocational Education Training Authority (TVETA) Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WSK Dr. Kipkirui Langat together with the CEO of WSG Hubert Romer; will allow WSG and TVETA, the official organizational agency representing Kenya at WorldSkills International, determine how they will work together over the next three years to establish and expand a national WorldSkills movement in Kenya and to participate in international WorldSkills competitions.
It will also expand and strengthen the organizational structures of WorldSkills Kenya and develop the skills teams, as experts in different skill areas will be trained and performance centers set up and exchange programs to Germany are also planned in order to gain a better understanding of the organization
and participation in skill competitions.
The deal will also help the country organize national competitions, prepare experts and participants for international competitions as well as lobby German companies and organizations in the private sector to sponsor activities of WorldSkills Kenya.
During the function, the Principal Secretary in the State Department of Vocational and Technical Training Dr. Margaret Mwakima, who was represented by the Deputy Director of TVET John Tuwei said that the country is happy to have Germany as a mentor and a partner.
“We hope that through the guidance of the official Delegates and Skills Experts from World Skills Germany, we will be able to come up with a strong organizational structure that will aggregate inclusive and competent pool of experts to run the day to day affairs of WorldSkills Kenya,” said Dr. Mwakima.
On his part Dr. Langat said that the partnership has been achieved after a rigorous legal process between the two countries.
“We are happy to enter into this partnership because as a government we joined WorldSkills Competition to strengthen the skills development of our TVET sector and help our young people acquire the relevant skills that can allow them to get opportunities at the international stage,” noted Dr. Langat.
He added that WSK has already picked 16 skills areas that the country will focus on, including mechatronics, fashion technology, wall and floor tiling, Mechanical Engineering CAD (Computer-aided design), Digital Challenge, Restaurant Service, among others; noting that as a start, the country is preparing to participate in three skill areas at the WorldSkills Africa Competition in Namibia next year before taking part in the global competition in Shanghai, China.
CEO WorldSkills Germany Hubert Romer said his organization is happy to mentor Kenya and expand the WorldSkills movement in the country.
“We are very pleased to be able to support Kenya in the future with the development of the national WorldSkills organization and the further development of vocational training,” said Hubert Romer, CEO and Official Delegate of WorldSkills Germany.
He added that: “It’s a partnership on an equal footing, in which both sides can learn from each other again and again.”
TVETA Chair of the Board Prof. Ahmed Ferej said it’s a blessing for WSK to be mentored by WSG, noting that Germany is a world-leading country in technology. He applauded the team that planned and executed the partnership.
On his part, the WSK Official Delegate Prof. Erick Ogur noted that the partnership will prepare Kenya to be among the best in skills development and attain international status.
Kenya’s journey to participate in WorldSkills Competition started in 2018 when the country was invited to participate in the Africa Union Skills Competition in Kigali, Rwanda. Later the government was invited as an observer to WorldSkills Competition in Kazan, Russia in 2019 when a decision to join the global skills competition was made and registered with the global skills body.
The WorldSkills International then sent an inspection team led by the former President Simon Bartley, who had a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta. During the meeting held at State House Nairobi, President Kenyatta committed that the government will support the country’s application to join WSI and its participation in the competition.
Bartley visit to Kenya in late February 2020 also coincided with the visit to Kenya by Germany President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Coincidentally, later Bartley held a meeting with President Kenyatta and his German counterpart. In the meeting, President Steinmeier promised that WorldSkills Germany will be at hand to mentor Kenya once it joins the global competition.
That commitment culminated in joint signing ceremony of a partnership agreement by senior officials of the two countries. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and other international partners will support this project.
