200,000 set to join TVETs in January

At least 200,000 students will join Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVETs) institutions in January, according to the Government agency in charge of tertiary training.

Technical, Vocational, Education Director Meshack Opwora told The Standard the increased enrollment was due to sensitisation targeting parents and youths.

Principal Secretary in the State Department of TVET Kevit Desai said the Government was lobbying private firms to contribute at least one per cent of their turnover to vocational training.

Currently, private firms pay a training levy of between 0.25 per cent and 1 per cent to the National Industrial Training Authority for training their employees.

“The Government is keen on bring the private sector on board to assist in financing TVET in the country," said Dr Desai, who early this year said private firms should commit 0.5 to 1 per cent of the turnover to TVET training.

He did not, however, say whether the contribution from the private sector would be a statutory levy or would be partly fashioned as some form of corporate social responsibility.

In the 2018/2019 budget, TVET was allocated Sh16 billion, accounting for three per cent of the total budget for the Education ministry. This is triple the amount allocated in 2017/2018 fiscal year.

Speaking on the sidelines of Kenya Association of Technical Training Institute conference in Mombasa, Desai also called on the county governments to channel more funds to technical institutions, which, he said, would power the country to achieve its industrialisation dream.

Currently, according to Desai, the national enrollment to TVETs stands at 0.2 per cent, but the Jubilee regime requires resources to scale it up to 10 per cent.