The Kenyan government has announced its plans to recruit 1,300 trainers to tackle the shortage of technical, vocational education, and training (TVET) institutions.
The National Treasury has already allocated funds for the drive in the budget for the next financial year 2023-24, and the vacancies will be announced next week.
The government has prioritized the expansion of TVETs by building, equipping, staffing, and funding the construction of new institutions.
However, there are currently only 6,201 trainers in TVET institutions, leaving a gap of 8,817 trainers that need to be filled.
The number of TVET institutions in Kenya has risen significantly, from 52 in 2013 to 238 in 2021, with 192 of these operational and 46 nearing completion.
The government hopes to design demand-driven programs to bridge identified skill gaps in the labor market, which will require the recruitment of more trainers.
The sector is facing financial challenges, and the budget allocated to TVET in the last financial year was not enough.
To address this, the TVET institutions are encouraged to think of ways to generate their revenue instead of solely depending on allocations from the National Treasury.
Mombasa county TVET director Peter Mwangi highlighted the need for the government to construct accommodation and access roads leading to the 17 TVET institutions in the coastal region.
With 11,500 students currently studying in the TVETs, this infrastructure is necessary for the sector’s growth and development.
As Kenya aims to attain its development agenda and realize socio-economic aspirations, the government recognizes that a critical mass of technologists, technicians, and artisans need to be trained.
The recruitment of more trainers is a significant step in this direction, and TVET institutions are urged to collaborate and partner with other top institutions worldwide to give trainees a competitive advantage in seeking employment globally.
