Assessing the acquisition of whole youth development skills among students in TVET institutions in Kenya

Ngware, Moses; Ochieng, Vollan; Kiroro, Francis; Hungi, Njora; Muchira, John Munyui

doi:10.1080/13636820.2022.2029544

Cited by 5 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Adult and/or lifelong learning and continuing education is currently accepted as an important human requirement. This is stemming from the increased economic globalization of activities, owing to the increased competition among developed and developing countries for skilled labour force (Ojo-Ajibare, 2017), that is consistent with the constantly changing labour force. The labour force is constantly evolving with the introduction of new and advanced technologies in the labour market.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whole youth development and employment: Exploring the nexus using qualitative data from a Kenyan study of Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions

Ochieng

Ngware

2021

Journal of Adult and Continuing Education

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Investment in sub-Sahara Africa's (SSA’s) youth through effective capacity development, involving adoption of contemporary skills development approaches, is integral in alleviating the region’s high youth unemployment rates as it will equip the youth with skills needed for employment. Skills that are needed are those that holistically develop the youth skills-set, including technical/hard and soft-skills, dubbed whole youth development (WYD) skills. This paper thus explores Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students’ understanding of soft-skills and its development. The paper utilizes data collected from a TVET study in Kenya that was carried in 9 of the 47 counties, targeting learners aged 15–24 years. The selected counties were those that had national polytechnics for national representation, except one (Turkana county), which was selected to represent youth from marginalized counties. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted for this study. The findings indicate that there is a good understanding of soft-skills among the targeted respondents, with extra-curricular activities playing a key role in promoting TVET students’ soft-skills. However, inadequate human resource and low level of awareness on soft-skills among instructors contribute to inadequate soft-skills learning. This calls for a concerted effort among key education stakeholders on the development of instructors’ and institutions’ capacities for a plausible soft-skills outcome.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whole youth development and employment: Exploring the nexus using qualitative data from a Kenyan study of Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions

Ochieng

Ngware

2021

Journal of Adult and Continuing Education

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“…The two forces—rapid technological advancements and globalization—have offered varied opportunities (e.g., distance/online learning and informational exchange) for human development in the face of an uncertain future, which we must well prepare for (OECD, 2018). Children who joined learning institutions in 2015 for instance, will be young adults in 2030, and the education systems in place must prepare to offer such learners the much needed relevant and quality skills to help navigate future labor force and technologies, to address future problems (Ngware et al, 2019; Ochieng & Ngware, 2021). This must be a collaborative responsibility involving participation of all education stakeholders (learners, schools, and wider community among others).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This must be a collaborative responsibility involving participation of all education stakeholders (learners, schools, and wider community among others). Provision of the envisioned quality and relevant skills has the propensity to help learners to develop effective inquisitive, self-regulation, imagination, and resilience capabilities; be able to adopt and adapt to adversities, rejection, and failures; and appreciate and respect values, ideas, and perspectives of others, otherwise known as holistic learner development (Awiti et al, 2019; Baah-Boateng, 2016; Bartel, 2018; Ngware et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption of Education Technologies for Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experiences of Marginalized and Vulnerable Learner Populations in Kenya

Ochieng

Ngware

2022

International Journal of Educational Reform

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The onset of COVID-19 made governments and other education actors prioritize distance learning, particularly through education technologies (EdTechs). Most sub-Saharan African countries adopted and adapted this approach. This paper examines the extent of EdTechs’ deployment in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic among marginalized and vulnerable populations. A cross-sectional study design was adopted for the study from which this paper drew its data, with both secondary and primary data utilized. The findings show that marginalized/vulnerable learner populations are still left out on EdTech supported learning. This article proposes salient recommendations that could help advance inclusive education discussion and related EdTechs’ discourse.

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“…Notably, salaried employment opportunities are limited in most developing sub-Saharan African countries as a large percentage of these youth currently work in the informal sector (Muchira, 2018). The youth, therefore, need interventions, especially because they continue working in the informal sector (Filmer & Fox, 2014), where they are majorly affected by labour market rigidities (Popescu & Roman, 2018).…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The government of the Republic of Kenya (GoK) and development partners pinpoint that the current training offered in the TVET institutions does not adequately prepare the youth to fit into the modern economy (Awiti et al, 2019; Ngware et al, 2019). Identifying pathways for mitigating barriers to successful skills development is integral to improving youth employability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing technical vocational education and training institutions’ curriculum in Kenya: What strategies can position the youth for employment?

Muchira

Kiroro

Mutisya

et al. 2022

Journal of Adult and Continuing Education

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Africa could benefit from the demographic dividend by identifying strategies for investing in the massive youthful workforce. The current study employs the social cognitive career theory perspective to assess Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions’ curriculum coverage of various skills in Kenya. We further examine the relevance of the curricula to the labour market and barriers affecting institutions' capacity to implement practical-oriented and demand-driven curricula. A cross-sectional research design was adopted using a mixed-method approach to gather and analyse data. Findings revealed different levels of coverage of soft and technical skills in the curriculum. Inadequate resources, lack of modern equipment and technology, and minimal adoption of practical components in the curriculum were identified as barriers to acquiring skills, consequently affecting TVET students' capacity to secure employment. To promote requisite skills acquisition and accelerate youth employability, we recommend a partnership between TVET institutions and the industry. Assessing how the competencies acquired align with labour market demands is also critical. Evidence gathered from this assessment will inform the improvement of existing on-the-job training, enable institutions to scale-up successful models and foster the development of human capital that is more adaptable to the dynamic world of work.

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Assessing the acquisition of whole youth development skills among students in TVET institutions in Kenya

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

Whole youth development and employment: Exploring the nexus using qualitative data from a Kenyan study of Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions

Whole youth development and employment: Exploring the nexus using qualitative data from a Kenyan study of Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions

Adoption of Education Technologies for Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experiences of Marginalized and Vulnerable Learner Populations in Kenya

Assessing technical vocational education and training institutions’ curriculum in Kenya: What strategies can position the youth for employment?

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