Tutors to earn better as new technical courses introduced

Technical Training Principal Secretary Dr Kevit Desai tours Siala Technical Training Institute Workshop in Migori County. [Sammy Omingo/Standard]

The Government will in January roll out 88 technical and vocational courses as it begins to implement the competence-based education and training policy framework.

The principal secretary for Technical Training, Kevit Desai, said the courses had been designed to bridge the practical gap that has been lacking in the country’s labour market.

Speaking at the Kenya Technical Trainers’ College (KTTC) in Nairobi during the launching of the framework, the PS said that for the first time in Kenya’s history, technical and vocational training (TVET) would have a salary scheme.

“For long, employees in these fields were at the mercy of their employers. They used to be paid peanuts. But this has ended. We have developed salary guidelines for all TVET cadres,” Dr Desai said.

He explained that framework and salary guidelines have been developed in consultation with industry players.

He said there will be different salary scales, similar to those that exist in other fields.

“We are going to attract many youths in this training because after finishing one module that takes three months, you will be paid a minimum of Sh20,000. For the Higher National Diploma, the salary is similar to what is paid in the civil service,” the PS said.

He added that in January, the Government would enrol one million youths into TVETs, with plans to get five million in 2020.

“This is going to revolutionise our country and make us achieve our Big Four agenda,” Desai said.

According to the framework, the short courses approved for implementation in January will be taken in six levels.

Core units of learning in marriage and family counselling level six include premarital, trauma, marriage, family, sex therapy and marriage and family research.

Desai said the curriculum to be introduced in January, would be based on standards that were benchmarked internationally to ensure that young people got relevant and quality training.

“The objective of our visit is to see our facilities and their preparations for the new initiative of Competence-Based Education Training (CBET). We hope to introduce competence-based education training by January,” said the PS at another function at the Kitale National Polytechnic.

Kitale Polytechnic has started training on competence-based education.

The PS said with the new curriculum, innovation was central, urging relevant authorities to ensure that the market systems reacted to innovations to tap from what the technical institutions would produce.

Promote innovation

He said the country was losing out because of failing to align markets systems to promote innovation, science and technology, a problem that killed innovation among the youth.

“Technical institutions across the country are finalising preparations for the new curriculum by ensuring there is enough equipment,” he said.

As a result, Desai added, the Government was looking for ways to invest in the equipment and machinery.