The Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) in the Ministry of Education Hon. Zack Kinuthia today paid a courtesy call on TVET Authority Director-General Dr Kipkirui Langat at Utalii House to familiarise himself with the work the Authority does and how it can create more collaborations with various stakeholders in the TVET ecosystem.
 
During the visit that lasted over an hour, the two discussed various issues, ranging from how TVETA’s mandate as regulator and coordinator of the TVET sector can be strengthened and how the Authority can work with various stakeholders to prepare young people who are well skilled for the ever demanding job market.
 
The CAS specifically called on TVETA Director-General to spearhead the recognition of prior learning for the thousands of young people operating within the Jua Kali sector whose skills are not recognised in the formal labour market due to lack of certification.
 
“Most of the young people in the Jua Kali sector have the required skills but are not able to get opportunities in the formal labour market. We need to system of grading the Juakali artisans and set up assessment centres across the 47 counties so that these artisans can be graded and awarded certificates. We can even start thinking of facilitating some of them to go and work in other countries,” Mr Kinuthia said.
“That is why I want TVETA so spearhead this exercise and work with other stakeholders so that we can start this programme as soon as possible.”
 
In his rejoinder, the TVETA DG said that the Authority has already developed a policy and Standards for recognition of prior learning and together with Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC), and the Kenya Association of Technical Training Institutions (KATTI) they are ready to roll out the programme.
 
“Plans are at advanced stages to role out recognition of prior learning. CDACC has developed a tailor-made curriculum for some levels of qualification and together with institutions they will assess the competencies of various Jua Kali artisans and grade them in readiness for certification. Our role is to provide the standards and quality assurance,” Dr Langat said.
 
To speed up the process, they agreed to pay a visit one of the college in Nairobi next week to have a hands-on experience on how the project will be rolled out.