Fredrick Muriithi, a skilled mechanic who is benefitting from Recognition of Prior Learning programme, at Gichugu Technical Institute in Kirinyaga county /ALICE WAITHERAMore than 267 skilled workers in the Gichugu constituency, Kirinyaga county, are set to receive formal qualifications after completing training and assessment under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme.
The workers, many of whom have spent years practising trades without formal certificates, have undergone three months of training and competency assessment at Gichugu Technical Institute and are expected to graduate with qualifications recognising their skills.
The programme targets workers who acquired expertise outside the formal classroom and seeks to bridge the gap between informal and formal learning by giving experienced artisans an opportunity to obtain nationally recognised qualifications.
Gichugu Technical Institute principal Joseph Kimemia said RPL had opened doors for workers who had previously been locked out of employment and government opportunities because they lacked documentation to prove their skills.
“Many people have worked in the field and acquired skills without necessarily going into a formal classroom. That has been a very big problem because they have continued working without recognition, bringing confusion into the system,” Kimemia said.
He
said the beneficiaries included mechanics, masons, carpenters and other skilled
professionals who had considerable experience but struggled to secure
opportunities requiring formal certification.
Some, he said, had also encountered difficulties with regulatory authorities and been unable to participate in government projects because they could not produce certificates despite possessing the required practical skills.
Kimemia said the programme was particularly important because assessment was carried out both within the institution and at workplaces, allowing workers to demonstrate their competencies in familiar environments.
He said the approach had encouraged more experienced workers to seek recognition without having to abandon their jobs or undergo conventional academic training from the beginning.
The principal challenged government agencies, parastatals and private companies to increase their uptake of Tvet graduates and provide them with employment and internship opportunities.
He said stronger collaboration between training institutions and industry would help ensure young people acquire skills that match the needs of the labour market while creating pathways into employment and self-employment.
Kimemia
also called for a change in how Tvet graduation
ceremonies are conducted, proposing that institutions abandon traditional academic
gowns in favour of attire reflecting graduates’ respective trades.
He said the move would reinforce the connection between technical training and the workplace, where professionals are identified by their occupational skills and safety requirements.
“We want to respect each field. Let us respect university gowns and make sure the gown is put to academic use, while skilled professionals are dressed the way they are supposed to be,” Kimemia said.
He said agriculture trainees could graduate in agricultural attire, hospitality students in professional hotel wear and technicians in protective equipment such as dust coats and helmets.
Kimemia further proposed that future graduates should leave colleges with tools of trade, with industries encouraged to support young professionals entering specific occupations.
He gave the example of motorcycle manufacturers supplying tools and maintenance equipment to newly qualified motorcycle technicians, creating a relationship that would benefit both graduates and manufacturers.
The arrangement, he said, would help address unemployment while expanding markets for companies supplying equipment and spare parts.
Among those benefiting from RPL is Fredrick Muriithi, a mechanic who has worked in the sector for more than 20 years but said lack of certification had restricted his access to opportunities.
“While I was working as a mechanic, I was afraid because even though I could successfully repair customers’ motorcycles, the opportunity to have a certificate was limited. Now that I have joined this training, I am okay,” Muriithi said.
He welcomed the programme, saying formal recognition would give artisans greater confidence and improve their chances of securing opportunities locally and abroad.
Mary Wanjiru, a trainee at the institute, said the training had equipped students with skills that could help them pursue employment or establish their own enterprises.
She
encouraged young people to enrol in Tvet
institutions, which offer courses including mechanical and automotive engineering,
cosmetology, hospitality, hairdressing, ICT and agriculture.
“The certificate will help us look for jobs and also help someone become a professional or work independently. There are many opportunities because you can be employed or create your own job,” Wanjiru said.
