The government is set to establish a fund to support Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates secure employment opportunities abroad, enabling them to earn a living and gain valuable experience.
Consequently, State Department for TVET Principal Secretary Dr. Esther Muoria said the government will also assist graduates in acquiring passports to facilitate travel.
The PS noted that graduates who secure employment in foreign countries will gain skills and experience before returning home to contribute to national development. She added that beneficiaries will be required to refund the support funds.
Learning from international models
Dr. Muoria cited countries such as South Korea, which sent skilled workers to countries such as Taiwan and Japan, where they gained experience before returning home to contribute to industrial development.
Accompanied by Kisii County Commissioner James Kamau, she said investors require a skilled workforce before establishing industries in the country.
“We want more skilled youth in various fields to attract investors to invest in our country,” said Dr. Muoria.
She noted that industrialization requires manpower, money, machines, and markets, adding that TVET institutions are equipping young people with market-driven skills for both local and international job markets.
Drive to increase TVET enrolment
The government, she said, has established a mobilization team to work with chiefs and TVET principals to recruit unemployed youth into training institutions.
“We currently have 850,000 trainees in TVET institutions, and the government is targeting two million by December,” Dr. Muoria told chiefs and government officials from Kisii and Nyamira counties during a stakeholders’ meeting at Kisii National Polytechnic.
Hosted by Chief Principal Geoffrey Andama, the meeting heard calls for chiefs to work closely with TVET principals in mobilizing and supporting youth enrolment.
The PS said the government is equipping TVET institutions and recruiting more trainers to enhance skills development, self-reliance, job creation, and industrial growth.
“The government has a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme that allows artisans without formal certificates to be assessed and certified through designated TVET institutions,” said Dr. Muoria.
She challenged chiefs and other government officers to sensitize artisans in various trades to enrol for assessment and certification.
Concern over school arson
Meanwhile, Dr. Muoria expressed concern over increasing cases of arson in schools, saying the trend points to a decline in moral values within society.
She appealed to parents, teachers, and chiefs to instill moral values in children and serve as role models.
“Some parents and teachers are drinking with their children under the guise of being civilized,” she told the gathering.
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According to the PS, parents have increasingly abdicated their responsibility of guiding and disciplining children, adding that the torching of schools is a sign of weakened parental supervision and moral guidance.
By Emmanuel Gwakoi
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