Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVETs) institutions have been urged to strengthen industry linkages, embrace Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), and prioritise practical skills to enhance graduates’ employability and align training with market demands.
Speaking in Mombasa during the closing of a three-day Kenya Association of Technical Training Institutions (KATTI) Leadership Engagement and Capacity Building Workshop, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Julius Ogamba said as the country transitions to Competency-Based Education and Training TVET institutions should prioritise practical competence over theoretical knowledge.
“Assessment systems must be credible, standardized, and aligned with industry expectations. Curriculum review must be continuous and undertaken in close partnership with employers. At the same time, trainers must be continuously up-skilled and professionally certified,” Ogamba said.
The CS noted that the quality of training will not be measured by enrolment numbers, but by graduates’ employability, even as the country intensifies efforts to enroll two million learners in TVET institutions.
He also called for strengthening of industry linkages through enhanced functionality of Industry Advisory Boards in every institution, scaling up apprenticeship and dual-training models and ensuring that every learner undergoes meaningful workplace-based training.
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“The curriculum must respond to industry, not the industry responding to the curriculum. No trainee should graduate without substantive exposure to the world of work,” he stated.
The CS further urged institutions to deepen collaboration with the private sector to ensure co-investment and curriculum relevance.
“Public-Private Partnerships must move from concept to practice. Partnerships are the currency of modern and resilient TVET systems,” he said.
Institutions were also encouraged to embrace technology by equipping learners with digital skills and integrating digital tools, automation, and Artificial Intelligence into training programmes.
“They must also invest in smart classrooms, strengthen e-learning systems and digitize administrative and academic processes.” He said
The CS affirmed that TVET is central to Kenya’s economic transformation, describing it as a bridge between young people and productive livelihoods and between policy ambition and practical delivery.
He emphasised that the future of Kenya’s economy will be shaped by the quality, relevance, and adaptability of its skills base.
Principals were directed to ensure their institutions’ strategies reflect reality, respond to labour market demands, align with national economic priorities, and adapt to evolving industry needs.
The CS further disclosed that many institutions continue to rely heavily on government capitation, as their primary source of funding, while income-generating initiatives remain underdeveloped and underutilized.
He called for strengthened financial accountability and internal control systems to ensure prudent use of public resources and transparency in revenue management.
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“Financial sustainability is not optional. It is the foundation of institutional independence and long-term growth,” he stated.
On her part, Principal Secretary (PS) for TVET, Dr. Esther Muoria called for measurable implementation of reforms in institutions, noting that public resources are invested in capacity-building forums.
The PS disclosed that Principals, Senior Managers, Trainers, and Quality Assurance Officers have been trained and sensitized on reforms such as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), delivery of digital jobs through Jitume labs, last-mile upskilling, digital work and emerging industry needs.
“Yet, in too many cases, this training has not translated into measurable implementation. Officers attend, are trained, and return to their institutions, but follow-through remains weak. The result is that trainees are disadvantaged, institutional performance stagnates, and the full value of public resources invested in capacity building is not realised,” Dr Muoria said.
She noted that TVET workshops must become centres of production, where robotics, automation, digital fabrication, and modern technologies move beyond demonstration to deliver solutions that serve society, support enterprise, and respond to national needs.
“The Toyota Kenya partnership is a strong model of co-training. The servicing of government vehicles in TVET institutions, following the National Treasury directive, confirms that the country is beginning to trust TVET not only to train, but to deliver,” she stated.
By Juma Ndigo
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