State to certify talented artisans

Principal Secretary Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training, Dr. Kevit Desai addressing the press. [Omondi Onyango/Standard]

The Government is set to certify more than 10 million untrained practitioners in informal sector to enable them access opportunities.

Principal Secretary for State Department for Vocational and Technical Training Kevit Desai said talented artisans, craftsmen, technicians and technologists will benefit from the programme dubbed as prior learning.

Perfected skills

Dr Desai said untrained practitioners who have perfected their skills through experience will be certified.

“They will be assessed and certified. This will not only enable them to be acknowledged for their efforts to date but also enable them to access opportunities in public and private sector,” said Desai.

The PS spoke while addressing 764 graduands during the second graduation ceremony of the Kitale National Polytechnic on Saturday.

Some of the opportunities the personnel will have access to are those in the Big Four Agenda in respect to agriculture value addition, manufacturing, universal healthcare and national housing programme.

Offer opportunities

The official said the programme will also offer the practitioners opportunity to upgrade their skills and competencies through incubation under the competence-based education training.

He said as from next year, technical training institutes will no longer be offering training on a general basis, but will instead be training to achieve standards and measurable skills.

The Government, he said, was committed to ensuring technical institutions are able to promote technology transfer, enterprise and incubation creation and extension in the agricultural sector.