The Ministry of Education has announced major changes to how students in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions will be trained, with greater involvement of industry in preparing learners for the job market.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Under the new approach, TVET students will receive more practical training using real equipment and production environments, while companies will play a bigger role in determining the skills taught in institutions.

Principal Secretary for the State Department for TVET Dr Esther Thaara Muoria said the government was moving beyond classroom-based training by bringing industries closer to TVET institutions and expanding opportunities for learners to gain practical workplace experience.

“This is about bringing industry into our institutions so that our learners train in environments that reflect the realities of the workplace,” Muoria said.

📌 What You Need to Know

The reforms are anchored on the model of “training from industry, with industry, for industry”, with employers expected to participate more closely in curriculum development, training, innovation and production.

This comes after the Ministry of Education recently extended the deadline for first-time university students and TVET trainees seeking government funding to September 21, 2026.

Education CS Julius Ogamba directed the Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to reopen the application window after concerns that some eligible students and trainees had missed the original deadline

Kenya currently has 33 national polytechnics and 217 technical and vocational colleges, while 11,600 trainers have been trained in competency-based training and about 300 modularised curricula have been developed or reviewed.

The government has also incorporated green competencies into 86 curricula and engaged more than 2,500 companies with TVET institutions, and more than 15,000 young people have benefited from dual training, which combines institutional learning with workplace training.

The Dual Training Policy was approved in January 2025, while the government is further establishing production and service facilities within TVET institutions in areas including agriculture, apparel manufacturing and automotive repair to strengthen hands-on learning.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke