Technical and vocational colleges are breathing new life into Taita Taveta communities as more of them are set up in rural areas.
The government seeks to enrol more people in the colleges to teach critical skills needed to drive the country’s Big Four Agenda and Vision 2030. Residents in rural areas are set to benefit from these industrialisation ambitions.
In 2013, the government began revamping technical training, but several misconceptions surround Technical and Vocational Education and Training centres (Tvets), leading to slow enrolment in most parts of the county.
Many parents still believe university education is more important, rubbing off their low opinion of Tvets on young people, who also start to believe that the colleges are not good enough.
“Before the government banned the practice, parents forced their children to repeat classes so they could score better grades to join university. Those who perform poorly are regarded as failures,” said Charo Kahindi, a resident of Bughuta.
Mr Kahindi, a mason in Voi, also said there is a perception that university graduates find jobs more easily, saying this is a fallacy.
“The focus of many youths is changing from seeking employment to entrepreneurship, through which they can make money to fend for themselves. The education bodies need to alter this inherited belief,” he told Nation.Africa.
In Voi, the Coast Institute of Technology has opened a branch in the rural area of Kasigau as part of its rapid expansion plan.
Apart from the Kasigau campus, other such institutions have opened centres in Taveta, Mwatate and Voi.
However, student enrolment remains low though millions of shillings have been invested in the centres.
Coast region Tvet director Peter Mwangi said the college will create social equity by creating job opportunities even in the rural area.
He said the government wants to open up such centres in remote areas to offer technical skills to residents who live in abject poverty due to a lack of employment opportunities.
He said Tvet training offers job-related skills and promotes innovation and entrepreneurship among young people.
“The soaring youth unemployment in the country has forced the government to reform its education system. Now, it’s focused on providing technical skills rather than white-collar jobs,” he said.
Speaking when he handed over the Kasigau institute to residents, Voi MP Jones Mlolwa said the growing problem of youth unemployment is one of the main socio-economic development concerns in Taita Taveta and the rest of Kenya.
“Kenya is planning to become industrialised by 2030 and that is why we are opening such institutions at the grassroots,” he said.
Mr Mlolwa said there is a shortage of skilled workers in Kenya, a situation that could hamper the country’s Vision 2030.
“As you know Vision 2030 is founded on a strong human capital base, which we currently lack. To achieve this, strengthening Tvet institutions is a matter of national growth,” he said.
Voi Deputy County Commissioner Daniel Nduti urged residents, especially the youth, to fully embrace technical training as a robust opportunity to create employment.
He said the government has refocused to meet the needs of today’s youth by ensuring that such institutions are equipped and capable of teaching the required skills.
“Such institutions are a necessary step towards attaining career skills. In the past, it was easy to get jobs but the situation has changed drastically as our country has evolved,” he said.
“In fact, the levels of unemployment are very high, affecting those holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees.”
The government has worked to expand youth access to training, improve the quality of training, and better match skills to the demands of the labor market.
Despite these efforts, leaders and education stakeholders in Taita Taveta have decried low enrolments at the county’s Tvets, which have slightly over 3,000 students.
In an interview, Coast Institute of Technology Principal Stephen Ngome acknowledged that enrolment is a major challenge but said the government has invested in state-of-art equipment for the centres across the county to offer quality training.
“People should see value in skill-based training that will make them move away from the skewed thinking of wanting to be employed in white-collar jobs,” he said.
