Kenya’s Industrial push: PS Mukhwana urges skills development to match evolving industry needs

Industrialization Principal Secretary Dr. Juma Mukhwana has underscored the need for the country’s technical and vocational institutions to produce graduates who meet contemporary needs and aspirations of Kenya’s industrialization agenda.

Speaking in Nairobi on Thursday, August 15, during the launch of Kenya Skills Development Community of Practice (KSD-CoP) at Boma Hotel, noted that it very important to produce skills that are relevant to industry which is constantly evolving and is not static.

“ It is also important to appreciate the newly launched Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), policy  where those in industry with skills but have no academic papers can be certified to help them access formal employment opportunities,” said Dr Mukhwana. 

The Principal Secretary pointed out that County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) were vital for local production besides being a dependable avenue for youth employment opportunities.

He lamented that Africa, despite having youth population advantage, had been left behind where in terms of industrialization and called for concerted efforts to address the problem.

“We have a gap in skills mismatch in Kenya mainly because of the disconnect between demand and supply. Part of the skills we need are not just for production but to develop industries according to technological advances,” observed the Principal Secretary.

The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) Director General Dr. Alice Kande while addressing participants at the event underscored the importance of sustaining linkages with the industry and TVET systems.

“A lot is happening in terms of implementing regional qualification framework as there is a lot of labour movement across the region. Therefore we have to standardize our training so that we have qualifications that globally recognized,” said Dr. Kande.

She added that the implementation of a robust Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) system will ensure that skills and competencies relevant to the industry needs are recognised and certified.

The Director General emphasised that KNQA will ensure the maintenance of standards, quality, and relevance at all levels of Kenya’s education and training sector.

“The Authority has established and maintains the Kenya National Qualifications framework (KNQF) that provides a system for the articulation, classification, registration, quality assurance, and monitoring and evaluation of national qualifications as developed in accordance with KNQF Act,” she added.

The Kenya Skills Development Community of Practice which is being championed by the government with support from International Labour Organization (ILO) seeks to promote Youth Employability, Lifelong Learning and sustainable socio-economic development through knowledge and expertise sharing, learning and professional development and improvement of practice in skills development in Kenya.

It will also facilitate the sharing of knowledge and expertise, foster learning and professional development, and support the improvement of practice within a particular domain.

It will yield significant benefits for stakeholders and the broader socio-economic landscape and these expected outputs will drive the government mission to enhance the quality and effectiveness of skills development initiatives across the country.