Government Set To Recognize Informal Skills-TVET PS Dr. Esther Thaara Muoria
The Principal Secretary State Department For Technical, Vocational Education and Training (SD-TVET) Dr. Esther Thaara Muoria has said that the Government is set to start recognizing informal skills.
The PS who spoke during Nkabune Technical Training Institute graduation ceremony in Meru County, said that the Government is set to start recognizing informal skills through the implementation of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
The PS said that RPL seeks to bridge the gap between education qualification and hard-earned skills and that it also seeks to promote inclusivity.
“We come from communities and societies that has very experienced individuals doing excellent work but lack formal education. Plumbers, tailors, mechanics, technicians, painters and the list goes on. The Government is in the process of recognizing these unsung heroes and heroines through the Recognition of Prior Learning,” Said Dr. Muoria.
The PS revealed that through the implementation of RPL in Kenya, individuals with informal skills will have an opportunity to be assessed and issued with certificates in their various areas of skill and this will present them with an opportunity to access Government tenders, employment both locally, regionally and globally.
She also hinted that once one gets certified through RPL, the individual will also have an opportunity to further his studies in the area of skill specialization.
This will be done through the proposed Recognition of Prior Learning Policy Framework that is set to be tabled before the Cabinet soon before its gazettement.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process used to identify and certify candidate’s competencies regardless of when, where, and how they acquired the skills against prescribed standards or learning outcomes.
The Recognition of Prior Learning in Kenya will be coordinated by Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA).
The targeted groups largely consist of workers in the informal sector who posses’ exemplary competencies in what they do but are not certified, refugees, asylum seekers, and school dropouts.
According to the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), Kenya still faces a severe shortage of quality and relevant skilled workforce due to a mismatch between skills produced and labour market needs, and hence the gazettement of the RPL Policy which is inline with the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA, will go a long way in empowering these very skilled but disadvantaged sections of the population.
Referring to the Demographic structure, 92 per cent of Kenyan youths have unrecognized competencies acquired through informal and non-formal means but are not certified to practice them.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), skilled but uncertified individuals are driving Kenya’s economy which is predominantly informal with 83 per cent of the workforce having skills without qualifications.
The implementation of RPL in Kenya will be used as a means to redress past inequalities by facilitating mobility, progression and access within education, training, and career progression.
In a different event in Naivasha during a stakeholder’s RPL Policy Validation workshop on September 13, the Principal Secretary State Department For TVET Dr. Esther Thaara who addressed the event online said that RPL is destined to better the lives of many Kenyans.
“This policy is going to change the lives of many disadvantaged Kenyans, including the highly skilled workers in the Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), unemployed people, refugees, asylum seekers as well as migrants to live decent livelihoods,” PS Dr. Muoria noted.
In the same event, she noted that the revised implementation of RPL, and the Differentiated Unit coast for RPL are not just documents but they serve as the bedrock upon which a robust, efficient, inclusive and accessible TVET system shall be established in Kenya.
“The aim of State Department For TVET is to create a system where everyone’s skills and competencies will be recognized and valued regardless of their background or educational journey. The documents hold more significance that just pieces of paper; they serve as the guiding plans for a brighter future for the great citizens of this country,” Said the PS.
Addressing the 15th graduation ceremony of Nkabune Technical Training Institute in Meru, PS Dr. Muoria called on Meru residents who posses skills but are not certified to take advantage of this opportunity in order to get assessed and certified.
State Department For TVET Dr. Muoria said that SDTVET is moving from knowledge based-learning to Skill-based learning through the implementation of Competency Based Training (CBET) which focuses on 70 per cent training which happens in the industry and 30 per cent learning in the classroom.
She noted that CBET will be able to equip the Kenyan youths with the much-needed industry hands-on skills.
Citing how Singapore has been able to develop by ensuring that it has a robust TVET sector, the PS said that if CBET is fully implemented in this country, Kenya will be the Singapore of Africa.
“If CBET is fully embraced and implemented in this country, Kenya will become the Singapore of Africa,” she said.
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