More young people are choosing technical training over degree programmes, driven by demand for skilled workers in the construction and industrial sectors, graduates and training officials said at a graduation ceremony in Kikuyu, Kiambu County.
The shift comes as the government links skilled workers with overseas jobs through the Kazi Majuu programme, while major infrastructure and industrial projects are expected to create jobs at home. It is reported that last year, 9,000 students who had qualified for university joined technical colleges instead.
The remarks were made at the graduation of trainees at the Toolkit Training Centre in Kikuyu, where Kevin Kanisio Osundwa, Regional Director for Africa at the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM) Examination Body, urged graduates to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship. He said welding skills could be applied across industries and around the world.
Osundwa said there was a large demand for graduates with technical skills and expected that most would be engaged by the Dangote oil refinery in Lamu, which he said would need more than 60,000 people. "NITA certifications issued to the graduates will make them marketable in the job sector while enabling them to further their studies," he said.
Joseph Mwai, one of the graduates, said he had studied biomedical engineering but turned to technical skills after learning that they are increasingly in demand as the country industrialises. He pursued advanced Metal Active Gas (MAG) welding to widen his career options in manufacturing, construction and the oil industry. "I studied biomedical engineering, but turned to technical skills after learning they are becoming increasingly in demand as the country is advancing towards industrialisation," he said.
Another graduate, Joel Mwangi Macharia, left a mechanical engineering course for welding after a road accident. "In the new venture in welding, I have rebuilt my life," he said, urging young people to acquire practical skills to improve their employment prospects. He added that technical graduates also hope to find work overseas, with Kazi Majuu offering a possible route into international labour markets.
John Ngigi Njuguna, Deputy Director at Don Bosco Tech Africa, urged employers to give young graduates from technical colleges chances to gain practical experience, noting that lack of experience often keeps them out of the job market. He said skill gaps had hindered the continent's ability to process its natural resources and manufacture finished goods.
Former Nairobi Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service, Geoffrey Mosiria encouraged young people to look for opportunities online and to approach factories directly with requests. "There is a need for laws that will favour graduates from the technical schools engaged in government employment," he said.
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