The dawn of Monday, October 28, 2024, was a fate-reckoning moment for candidates of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (TVET CDACC) July/August 2024 Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) Assessment when the Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary Mr. Julius Migos Ogamba, E.B.S, was due to release their results. The occasion, held at the Kenya School of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (KSTVET) at Gigiri, Nairobi, was a determining element intended to crown the efforts of Certificate (Level 4 and 5) and Diploma (Level 6) learners who had toiled in thorough Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutes across the country.
Two of The Co-operative University of Kenya’s students from the Institute of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (I-TVET) were among the few learners who the TVET CDACC had invited to receive their results from the Cabinet Secretary. Blessing Mawaro and Leah Rose, who had excelled in the Diploma in Supply Chain Management, received their CBET Assessment Certificates from the Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba, E.B.S. Dr. Daniel Langat, the Director at the Institute of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, who had accompanied the two trainees acknowledged that recognition of our two candidates from the Institute of Technical and Vocational Education and Training came as an affirmation of the cutting-edge quality education that we continue to provide to our learners in pursuit of the mission of producing competent human capital through quality education, training, research and innovation, and empowering communities for socio-economic transformation.
In his welcoming remarks, Prof. Kisilu Kitainge, the TVET/CDACC Chief Executive Officer, elucidated the incredible steps that Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) has taken to revolutionize TVET programmes and ensure that they remain relevant to the ever-evolving technological changes in the job market.
“This transformative journey of ensuring skills enhancement among trainees at TVET institutions demands drastic and necessary changes in curricular development, review of the nation’s occupational standards, introspection of the basic units offered, integration of informatively gained skills through a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), registration and accreditation of CBET institutions and collaboration with industry partners to deliver industry-aligned, industry-responsive, and industry-relevant training that addresses the acute need for economic transformation of our country, continent, and the world,” said Prof. Kisilu.
Speaking at the occasion, Prof. Ahmed Ferej, the TVET CDACC Council Chairperson, noted the significant milestones Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has so far attained through the Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC). A total of 59,575 candidates were assessed in the July/August 2024 CBET assessment across 252 TVET assessment centers countrywide in 226 qualifications across all levels with 2,929 units of competency. The Curriculum (CBC) that saw Kenya move from a rigid examination paper Knowledge-Based Curriculum (KBC). This strategically places TVET CDACC in its rightful place as the developer of over 400 Competency-Based Curricula, which have been curated in consultation with industry professionals to ascertain that learners in TVET institutions gain skills and knowledge that are directly applicable to real-world job roles.
The Principal Secretary of the State Department for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET, Dr. Esther Thaara Muoria, identified that the prior education curriculum was more aligned towards knowledge rather than skilling the learners, and that scenario created a gap between education and skills, which makes the transition to Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) equivocal.
“Continuous upgrading of knowledge and skills ensures that learners are perpetually relevant to the industry dynamics, and today’s release of the assessment results underscores the resolution of TVET CDACC to provide a curriculum that bridges industry gaps and adaptation requirements of the future employers,” uttered PS Dr. Esther Muoria.
Addressing the July/August 2024 CBET assessment results release congregation, Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, E.B.S, affirmed that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a strategic pillar supporting the actualization of the Government’s Vision 2030. The Chief Guest assured the principals, directors, and trainers of the TVET institutes of the prominence the Kenya Kwanza government places on the Technical Institutions since they play a pivotal role in spurring industrialization in Kenya.
“Kenya’s potential in delivering relevant, practical, and industry-responsive education that answers to the needs of the 21st Century lies upon adequate resource allocation for TVET institutions, accessibility, and uncompromised quality of training to our learners,” said Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba.
The Cabinet Secretary acknowledged and lauded the TVET Curriculum Development, Assessment, and Certification Council’s international collaboration with development partners including Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), International Labour Organization (ILO), Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) through Mastercard Foundation, and World Bank, among other partners, expressing that such partnerships have strengthened Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) implementation in Kenya.
“These partnerships have afforded Kenya an opportunity and a platform to learn from global best practices, thereby positioning our country as a continental leader in Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) while expanding the employability of Kenya’s TVET trainees at international job markets,” concluded the Education CS Julius Ogamba.
The Ministry of Education under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) has successfully implemented the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), which is spearheaded by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA). The Recognition of Earlier Learning initiative has brought Kenyans with the requisite skills but without formal certification into an ecosystem of skills qualification, turning out to be an excellent driver for inclusivity and opportunity for many. This is a testament to the fruitful actualization of CBET which anchors the foundation tenets of the recently adopted Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) that restructures the provision of learning that bridges the gap between education and industry.
