Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions must adopt Kenya’s green curriculum and teach students how to turn waste into products and jobs, the Ministry of Education has said.
Anne Kamonjo, Head of the Greening TVET and Climate Change Unit at the State Department for TVET, speaking on behalf of Principal Secretary Esther Muoria, said institutions should integrate green skills into the national training system and prepare graduates for an economy facing climate and environmental challenges.
“TVETs must champion soft skills in greening and fully adopt the green curriculum that has been developed and integrate it into the national training system. We cannot train graduates for yesterday’s economy. We must build solutions that make life sustainable,” said Kamonjo.
Kamonjo spoke on Monday as she opened a two-day forum on greening at the Kenya School of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Gigiri, Nairobi.
She linked green skills taught in classrooms and workshops to the effects of climate change, citing rising water levels in lakes such as Baringo that have displaced communities and learners.
“The answer to climate change is in our classrooms and workshops. When we teach a young person to turn waste into a product, we are teaching them to protect the lake, protect the land, and create a job,” she added.
More than 100 stakeholders attended the forum, including TVET principals and trainers, industry representatives, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), student innovators and a delegation from Edukans Ethiopia.
Edukans Kenya and the State Department for TVET organised the forum under the Wear the Green Future programme, which was launched in 2024 to promote sustainable practices in the fashion and textile industry.
The programme trains young people to recycle and reuse old garments and other waste, use sustainable textiles and adopt production methods that reduce environmental harm.
Edukans Kenya Country Director Mary Mugo said the programme had moved beyond its pilot phase, reaching more than 20 industries and MSMEs and supporting more than 3,000 young people.
“We started in 2024 with a question: can waste create jobs? Today the answer is yes. We have reached over twenty industries and MSMEs with eco-friendly products and supported over three thousand young people who have embraced innovation in the green future,” said Mugo.
Mugo said the next challenge was connecting student innovations to businesses and consumers.
“Our youth are not lacking creativity; they are lacking market linkages and support. We need to tap into their creativity, connect them to MSMEs, and ensure that what is made in our TVETs can be sold in our markets. That is how the greening movement becomes a green economy,” she explained.
Students from participating TVETs displayed products made from waste and discarded materials, including upcycled denim bags, patchwork school uniforms, mats made from plastic waste and home décor items.
The Ethiopian delegation shared how the programme is being adapted to address textile waste in urban centres while creating jobs for marginalised young people.
Stakeholders are expected to agree on a joint action plan covering the integration of the green curriculum into TVET institutions, partnerships with industry to market green products and expansion of youth-led green enterprises across Kenya and the region.
