Technical colleges to employ 3,000 trainers, says PS

Permanent Secretary for TVETs Esther Muoria before education and research committee, Parliament, Nairobi. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

The government has approved employment of 3,000 Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVETs) trainers to address personnel shortage.

Speaking at the Kenya Association of Technical Institutions( KATTI) Annual General Meeting in Mombasa yesterday, Permanent Secretary for TVETs Esther Muoria said President William Ruto's administration is keen on supporting the institutions to become centres of excellence.

There are currently 238 vocational institutions.

"I can confirm we are going to employ 3,000 trainers after the same was approved by the president," said Dr Muoria.

The PS said she would engage all stakeholders to improve the institutions and ensure they produce skilled graduates.

She also asked The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) to ensure all the programmes are placed in the TVETs.

"I want our graduates to be practical. I have called KUCCPS office to have the students placed. I will go to all the offices and have a conversation because there are programmes that were not placed in the curriculum," said Muoria.

Kenya Association of Technical Institutions chairperson Glory Mutungi said TVETs are struggling with few trainers against the ballooning population of students.

She said currently the ratio of trainers to students is 1 to 100 against the required 1 to 25.

"If you go to (KUCCPS) portal you will see even A grade students are taking up TVET courses and shunning degree programmes because they understand employers need skills and believe in TVETs," said Mutungi.

Mutungi said ideally they need around 12,000 TVETS teachers to match the increasing number of students joining the institutions.