Youth Urged to Pursue Technical and Vocational Training to Tackle Unemployment
Ms. Rebbeca Kide, a member of the West Pokot County Executive Committee (CECM) for Education, has urged the youth to pursue skills training in order to become employable.
During a five-day road show campaign, Kide stated that employment was shifting from white collar positions to skills and that those with technical and vocational training had an advantage in securing employment in the formal and informal sectors.
She mentioned that there was now an Ortum cement factory in need of skilled workers. She also referred to the Muruny water project, where local residents expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that they lacked the necessary skills to participate effectively.
Kide urged the youth to enroll in Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) centers close to their residences in order to be trained in occupations that match their qualifications.
She stated that the rate of unemployment is an issue that the government is addressing, and that all young people are required to acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to obtain employment or establish their own businesses.
The CECM urged the youth to consider entrepreneurship as a means to establish their own enterprises, emphasizing that it could contribute to alleviating unemployment issues in the country.
The CECM stated that the government has invested in TVET colleges and asked for additional assistance with infrastructure development and the hiring of teachers.
She stated that the negative perception of youth accessing TVET programs must change, adding that it is not true that TVET programs are for those who are not academically successful, stating that they are not reserved for those who are academically inept.
She expressed the need to change the perception that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is solely for individuals who did not perform well in traditional schooling.
Kide also lamented the fact that the county had to seek plumbers from other regions due to a shortage of local expertise in the sector.
She urged the youth to pursue skills training to fill the expertise void in the country, urging them to pursue training in various skills and adding that the government is funding TVET trainees through HELB loans and asking those with tuition fees not to be afraid to enroll in the program.
She stated that according to the West Pokot governor’s manifesto, each constituency in the county would have a TVET institution. Kide urged members of the county assembly to use ward funds to establish a TVET institution for learners in every ward.
Kide mentioned that the national government had committed to establishing at least one Technical Training Institute (TTI) in each constituency, with a focus on diploma-level education. This initiative aims to enhance the affordability and accessibility of education for all learners.
Mr. Samuel Lemale, the director of TVET in West Pokot County, expressed regret that enrollment in six TVET centers in Kapenguria, Chepareria, Ortum, Sina, Sigor, and Kodich was only 517 students in 2019 but has since increased to 2,260 students.
Lemale stated that radio, road shows, and intervocational athletics have helped increase the number of students enrolled in TVET programs.
“We have constructed classrooms and dorms. “Students are learning electrical and electronics, carpentry and joinery, computers, construction, and building,” he explained.
Ms. Beria Wawira, a programmer at the Azizi Afrique Foundation, stated that they wish to alter the perception of TVET graduates as failures or weak performers.
She emphasized that one of the prevailing misconceptions about TVET is that it is meant for individuals who did not excel in traditional education or who have had poor academic performance.
The goal is to shift this perception and highlight that TVET offers a viable and valuable educational path, often summarized as “Form ni TVET,” which translates to “TVET is the way to go.”
She stated that enrollment in West Pokot’s nine TVETs is still minimal, but that will change by next year. She stated that the narrative is being rebranded in an effort to alter the perceptions of adolescents regarding participation in TVET programs.
Wawira stated that the current enrollment rate in the county is low because the majority of institutions with the maximum number of students are public institutions, and she urged youth who are at home to enroll in TVET centers nearby.
She stressed the importance of people enrolling in TVET institutions to acquire lifelong skills that would enable them to excel in both their professional careers and personal lives.
She also called upon the County Government to fully support and equip the nineteen TVET institutions within the county to facilitate skills development.
Mr. Walter Odondi, another programmer at the Azizi Afrique Foundation, stated that TVET is an alternative route to the job market.
He highlighted that approximately 800,000 individuals enter the job market annually, but there remains a low job placement rate, with 27 percent of young people experiencing unemployment due to employers’ mismanagement of skills.
Odondi emphasized that while many individuals pursue university education, TVET offers an alternative pathway to equip young people with the necessary skills to succeed in their careers.
He stated that there are students who wish to attend college after graduating from high school, but there are insufficient spaces, and TVET affords the youth the opportunity to enroll because it is inexpensive.
Youth Urged to Pursue Technical and Vocational Training to Tackle Unemployment