TVET Director Meshack Opwora unveils ambitious plan to train 5 million youth
The Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET) has unveiled an ambitious plan to impart 5 million youth with requisite employment skills in the next five years.
TVET national director Dr Meshack Opwora, in an interview with Nairobi News, stressed the importance of handing the youth self-employment opportunities in an increasingly competitive job market.
“Our emphasis is on training job creators, not job seekers” he said.
“We have to equip the youth with entrepreneurship skills and provide mentorship. This is a sure way of building our economy by ensuring the youth are busy and creative.”
With mentorship from Education Cabinet Secretary Hon. Ezekiel Machogu, TVET has laid emphasis on opportunities in the mechanical engineering, electronics, electrical technology, and mechatronics fields.
Other fields include building and construction, food and beverage, Blue economy, tailoring, beauty and hospitality.
A PHD holder in TVET from the University of Newcastle, Australia, coupled with a Master of Education in Educational Administration and Planning from the University of Nairobi, Dr Opwora who’s worked as TVET Director since 2018, says he is excited to be back at the helm of TVET his original stint was temporarily halted in 2019.
He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Kenyatta University and is a Fellow member of Engineering Technologists and Technicians of Kenya.
Stakeholders have listed some of the gains realized under Dr Opwora’s reign at TVET to include the increase in HELB loans and scholarships for TVET, launch of the CBET Policy Framework, increase of TVET institutions and enrolment, equipping institutions with state of the art equipment, capacity building of trainers, TVET managers, and agencies, like TVET CDACC, KNQA and TVETA. Transfer of trainers from TSC to PSC, and provision of linkages between industry with TVETs and introduction of dual training.
Others are developing policy direction for the institution between 2004 and 2022 and midwifing the Kenya-China equipment programs where 140 state of the art equipment that assist in training and production have been unveiled.
Dr Opwora has also assured stakeholders the TVETS are acredited by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority in a move that ensures their skills are recognized locally and internationally.