The man at the forefront of bridging the gap between classroom and the job market

Kevit Desai has been involved in the development of education in Kenya for more than 20 years. He was part of the team behind major education reforms that culminated in the four Acts — the University Act, the TVET Act, the Science and Technology Innovation Act and the Kenya Qualifications National Frameworks Act — that have shaped education standards in Kenya. He currently chairs Linking Industry With Academia (LIWA).

How does LIWA work?

LIWA’s work is in line with the goals of Vision 2030, which include promoting a knowledge-based middle-income economy. We want to ensure that university education and TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) are on equal footing. Both are important from private sector’s and government’s perspectives. Universities focus on skills, education and basic research while TVET institutions focus on skills and applied research. We have mechanisms to enhance the collaboration: sector boards which bring together relevant academic people, government and the private sector to dialogue and to promote curriculum and shared infrastructure; the sector skills advisory committees for each skill in industry; information systems, which create links between the demand side in terms of skills, education and research and what is available in the academia.

Who does LIWA target?

LIWA is a public-private partnership. Its stakeholders include the academia, the government and the private sector. It also promotes relationships with the students.

What are some of the success stories so far?

We have developed occupational standards and curriculum for TVET. We are developing assessment systems to ensure that graduates from these institutions have a high chance of employment. We have also been involved in TVET reforms and created partnerships between universities and the industry.

Why are some universities and other target institutions hesitant to join LIWA?

Traditionally, education institutions have been disconnected, isolated and introverted. To date, we are still helping them understand the benefits of coming together in the LIWA collaboration. We want to help them promote quality and relevance. They are also expected to seek diverse sources of income beyond public capitation. Promoting links enhances this relevance and opens employment opportunities for graduates. Universities can also benefit in terms of research. Currently, the government spends a lot of money on external research providers when there are people in our universities who can benefit from that. The industry also sub-contracts research from abroad, which could otherwise be provided by our universities and vocation institutions at a fee.

What are you doing to get more learning institutions on board?

We are promoting leadership with our shared vision of a quadruple helix where we create mechanisms and structures to promote dialogue. We are having such initiatives as exhibitions and conferences to reinforce our structure towards the vision of linking industry with academia.

What is the role of the government in the collaboration?

The government is involved in policies, strategies and legislation. It also comes in through state corporations like Commission for University Education. Most of the corporations we work with focus mainly on enhancing research.

What are some of the challenges facing the collaboration?

The biggest challenge that LIWA faces is in promoting its structure, which is not being taken seriously by the some stakeholders. LIWA can help in achieving Vision 2030. It requires a lot of support, especially from the government and the academia.

Would you say the skills gap is the real reason for the high unemployment rate in Kenya?

I totally agree. Despite talent in the youth, there is usually an obvious lack of preparedness when a student comes in for an internship or a job. Where a required skill is lacking, it becomes costly for the industry to train the unskilled workforce internally. Even then, with disconnected systems, there is a possibility of young people graduating from educational institutions and sitting on their skills just because they do not know where to go next. The earlier the institutions and the industry embrace work-integrated learning relationships, the better. It could start with internships, a job or even creating a personal business.

Many technological innovations and ideas conceived by students in universities and colleges are said to die when the students graduate. What can be done to make these ideas survive?

The ideas die when the students graduate because they are not connected with the demand or the industry. The innovations may be brilliant but they may not be what the industry is looking for. The industry may also never be aware that a brilliant innovation is going on somewhere in our learning institutions. That is where the industry-academia collaboration comes in through the information systems to link the industry demand side and what is available in the academia.