Finland and Germany commit Ksh.2 billion for Kenya's TVET training programme

The ‘Promotion of Youth Employment and Vocational Training’ programme will support the Ministry of Education, State Department for TVET, in institutionalizing Dual TVET across Kenya.

This will include establishing the necessary structures, policies, and resources to support the implementation of this training model on a larger scale. Dual TVET is a competence-based model of vocational training that combines learning at a TVET institution with industrial experience and mentorship offered through in-company training.

Speaking at the launch, Dr. Esther Thaara Muoria, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for TVET, welcomed the partnership stating that “to ensure effective industry engagement, the State Department has established an Industrial and Dual Training Liaison office, which will be instrumental in coordinating and monitoring the dual training programs."

During a successful pilot phase conducted from 2019 to 2022, the initiative collaborated with various industries to develop seven curricula, enrolled over 350 trainees in seven TVET institutions, and engaged 65 companies.

The pilot also introduced a hybrid learning system for Industrial Mechatronics and enhanced the capacity of at least 115 staff members from TVETs and the Ministry of Education.

The governments of Finland and Germany have committed an investment of 15 million Euros (approximately 2.2 billion Kenyan shillings) to equip 6,000 Kenyan youth with essential skills for employability and economic growth.

This joint financing from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ) will significantly expand the program, increasing the number of institutions implementing Dual TVET from 7 to 60.

The expansion aims to engage a minimum of 800 companies, establish a comprehensive Dual TVET framework through policy and standards, enhance the capacity development of TVET personnel, and introduce digitalized delivery of hybrid learning for selected Dual TVET occupations.

The program will be implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Finnish and German governments, in close collaboration with the State Department of TVET.