Kenya National Qualifications Authority Technical Services Director Stanley Maindi has noted that there is a low perception about TVET institutions in the country.
Maindi said the low perception is one of the challenges that impede the realisation of TVETs' full potential even though they have existed for 100 years now.
He said there is a wrong perception among Kenyans that TVETs are for students who failed exams in secondary schools.
"Let people know that TVETS exist. Those who have a negative perception should change and know that we have a system in Kenya that can be useful to many of us," Maindi said during a media engagement.
Maindi said TVETs produce some of the most highly skilled workers.
He said TVETs have the potential to increase employment opportunities in Kenya but are not embraced enough.
"TVETs have been identified as one of the enablers of employment. Nowadays we have A students going to TVETs because they are assured of skills and employment," Maindi said.
UNESCO Strategy for TVET identifies TVET as the link between education and the world of work and facilitates entry into the labour market and career progression.
Though the training institutions have a low perception, Maindi said the Ministry of Education aims to triple the number of students enrolled in TVETs in the next five years.
"Currently we have up 350, 000 students in TVETs. We want to double the number to have 700,000 to 1,000,000 youth involved in TVET institutions," he said.
Other than low uptake and low perception, Maindi said low financing and low industry involvement are impeding the realisation of TVETs full potential.
Maindi said despite government and development partners investing heavily in the sector, there is still a lot to be done.
He said more needs to be done particularly in terms of infrastructure development, availing equipment, policy frameworks, recruitment of trainers and curriculum reforms.
As TVETs mark 100 years of existence, Maindi said the nationwide celebrations aim at mitigating these challenges by re-branding and re-positioning TVET to effectively promote youth employability, mobility, decent work and lifelong learning.
"The TVET at 100 celebrations aims to rekindle the TVET fire and reposition the TVET system to effectively respond to labour market and societal needs," he said.
Maindi said there is a need to modernise and transform TVET to effectively meet the labour market and societal needs and drive the National Economic Agenda - the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The celebrations started in March when the TVET torch was shared in Mt Kenya and set to go around the country.
The 100 years of TVET celebrations will culminate in a major celebration at Kabete National Polytechnic on July 31 which will be graced by President William Ruto.
The theme of the TVET at 100 celebrations is " Making TVET systems responsive to the fast-changing global megatrends, labour markets and societal needs”