NITA, counties to collaborate on vocational training

Ministry of Labour and Social Protection Administration Secretary Herman Shambi chats with NITA Board Chairman Aden Noor Ali and NITA Acting Director General Theresa Wasike. [James Wanzala, Standard]

The National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) will collaborate with all county governments on vocational training. This follows a forum held on Monday at NITA Athi River Conference Centre, which came up with a way forward on the collaboration.

The forum attendees were NITA and County Executive Committee Members (CECMs).

"Among the way forward agreements are that the NITA management will prepare a comprehensive report and the presentations from the event and circulate the same by June 30, 2025," said NITA acting director general Theresa Wasike.

The report, she said, will include the agreed areas of collaboration and the proposals and or concerns from the forum. Two is that the authority will initiate an engagement framework with all counties individually and collectively through the Council of Governors (CoG) to ensure the realisation of the forum resolutions.

Areas of collaboration, she said, will revolve around research and curriculum development, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), assessment and certification.

It will also include labour mobility, industrial training development, industrial training centres, accreditation and registration.

The Authority will propose the formation of joint technical committees with all counties to cement the collaboration initiatives.

The key policy issues as articulated and proposed by the chairperson of the CECMs Education Caucus, Elizabeth Muli, will be forwarded for further discussions including representation of CoG in the National Industrial Training Board and cost of RPL assessments.

"As a way of ensuring continued collaboration moving forward, the NITA management will be proposing to the Board the convening of such an event annually beginning this year 2025," said Ms Wasike.

Also, as a way of streamlining engagements, Wasike said NITA will closely work with the CECMs and inform them of all communications.

As a start, the Authority will be sending invites to Governors and CECMs to grace the launch of the August 2025 government Trade Test exercise in the Counties.

The authority, she said is open to discussions on engagements with the County Chief Officers on a similar forum and the CECMs will be collectively engaged on this through the CoG.

The authority Wasike added will fast-track ongoing engagements and requests that have come on the floor for various industrial training interventions.

"Our technical teams will be reaching out to the specific counties within the week," she added.

Wasike said a catalogue of existing NITA products or curriculums and accredited centres in all counties will be shared with the report.