Embrace skills-based training, Topmax director urges KCSE candidates

Topmax Technical Training College Director Jephthah Obiri/ COURTESY 

Topmax Technical Training College Director Jephthah Obiri said the latest KCSE results should not be viewed as a final verdict on a learner’s future, insisting that technical and vocational education offers strong prospects for employment, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Obiri noted that while academic performance remains important, it should not be treated as the sole yardstick of ability or potential.

“KCSE results matter, but they should not define a young person’s destiny,” he said.

Skills-based programmes, he noted, gives students practical competencies that employers need, and also prepare them for self-employment.

He cited growing demand for skilled technicians and artisans in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, ICT and hospitality, saying Kenya continues to face shortages that can only be addressed through expanded TVET enrollment and training capacity.

“Kenya has a very serious shortage of skilled technicians and artisans,” he said, adding that courses in electrical installation, automotive technology, construction, ICT and hospitality offer meaningful career and income opportunities.

Obiri encouraged students who may not have achieved direct university admission to explore TVET options, describing the pathway as flexible, market-driven and aligned with Kenya’s industrialisation goals.

He added that vocational training allows learners to progress academically over time, with options to pursue higher diploma and degree programs.

Education stakeholders have increasingly framed technical and vocational training as integral to the country’s economic transformation agenda, particularly in light of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which prioritizes manufacturing, digital services and MSME growth.

Obiri also appealed to parents and guardians to support learners choosing non-university routes, arguing that negative perceptions of TVET institutions are outdated and misaligned with modern labour realities.

“National development depends not only on academic excellence but also on practical skills,” he said.

“Parents should support technical pathways because they offer real economic value and genuine opportunities.”

With thousands of KCSE candidates expected to make career decisions in the coming weeks, Obiri said it was essential for students to explore multiple post-secondary options and align their choices to both personal strengths and labour market trends.

“Skills matter, and increasingly, they open opportunities faster,” he said.