- According to Education CS Ezekiel Machogu, the student trainer ratio in TVETs ought to be 1:20 but it currently stands at 1:55.
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TVET Principal Secretary Esther Muoria has announced that the Ministry is set to hire 2,000 new trainers for technical institutions across the country.
She said the government recently recruited 1,300 trainers for TVETs who are already in various institutions.
The PS said the tutors were trained on the student-based pedagogy from the Kenya School of TVET.
“We have advertised another 2,000 trainers who were going to start shortlisting from next week so that we can bridge the student-teacher ratio gap,” Muoria said.
She spoke on Friday at the Kabete National Polytechnic where celebrations to mark 100 years of TVET were held.
Muoria also acknowledged that there aren't enough trainers in TVET institutions.
“That is why the government is taking the initiative to bring in more. The President has availed funds from Treasury for us to be able to recruit 2,000 more trainers,” Muoria said.
According to Education CS Ezekiel Machogu, the student-trainer ratio in TVETs ought to be 1:20 but it currently stands at 1:55.
She said the State is to construct a TVET institution in every constituency in this country.
“The PWPER had recommended that we have a National TVET institution in every constituency. But the President thought of it as too much,” she said.
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Muoria said as the country commemorates 100 years of TVETs, there is a TVET torch going around the country to help create awareness of the existence of the institutions.
“The TVET torch was launched by His Excellency at the Nyeri National Polytechnic and it is going around the country. Right now I think it is in Western from the Rift Valley. Then it will go to Nyanza, Coast then back to Nairobi where we will hold the ultimate of this celebrations,” she said.
Muoria said the ministry is out to create awareness about the higher institutions of learning.
She said TVETs are the way to go and are game changers both regionally and internationally.
She said graduates from TVETs are absorbed by international firms, thus easily gaining employment.
“This year an organisation called Hopes came into the country to interview our graduates where they recruited 315 agriculturists. Others who were in the UK are being recalled because of the good work they did,” the PS said.
Muoria said TVETs equip trainees with relevant skills for the job market, urging more Kenyans to seek courses in technical institutions.
Additionally, she said trainers are being retooled at the Kenya School of TVET adding that the exercise will be done by June.
She said the quality of the trainer is key.
“We will also be bringing in trainers and specialists in industries who retired to help us train our youth,” Muoria said.
She said the industry players will come in from the beginning of June.
Further, Muoria revealed that the ministry is apprehensive that the student population in TVETs might overflow in the next few years.
She said though the student population is not yet at its maximum, the Ministry can foresee an increase in population.
“ We do not have low enrollment in TVETs. My fear is we might get overwhelmed sooner or later,” Muoria said.
Muoria said that the institution has started offering skills competence certification to all its students.
She said the certifications offered in different levels of qualification are equal to university degrees offered in various universities across the country.
“This certification will help reduce incidences of fake certificates. However, there are just criminals who want to go to unknown places to get certification. For those we will rope in DCI to deal with them,” she said.
The PS challenged the employees to start recruiting from Tvets as their graduates have skills earned during training and offer value to employment.
At the launch of TVETs at 100 celebration which she officially commissioned, Muoria said it is time Kenya took stock of the benefits that has been borne out of the institutions.
Kabete National Polytechnic Principal Patrick Muchemi said the institution is celebrating 100 years since its establishment, thus the ministry brought in other TVETs and stakeholders to cheer.
He said the State has invested so much in TVETs urging other principles to ensure they produce quality skilled learners equal to what has been invested in them.
“As managers of TVETs, are we equal to the investments that the government and development partners have put?” Muchemi posed.
