THE EXTENT TO WHICH TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING INSTITUTIONS PREPARE THEIR GRADUATES FOR THE LABOUR MARKET IN KENYA

Abstract

Education's objective is to prepare pupils for a lifetime of learning. Today's education is built to allow teachers to convey knowledge and skills to students, as well as for students to become knowledgeable and capable of applying what they've learned over time. Kenya's present curriculum and educational goals are well-defined if followed to the letter. Teachers and students in the classroom, in general, use an academic system rather than a dual system to address the needs of people and groups that are subsets of society as a whole. This study sought to determine how well TVET colleges prepared their graduates for the employment market. Because in the large sample area, this study focused on institutions in the Nairobi and Rift Valley regions. This study adopted a survey research methodological approach and a simple random sample technique to pick 80 TVET graduates, 18 Heads of Department (HoDs) from TVET institutions, and two TVET Authority Research and Development Officers. Each of the questionnaire's six sections contained research. The data was gathered utilizing a structured interview schedule and a validated questionnaire by the two supervisors. The data was then assessed both descriptively and inferentially.. According to the findings, trainees' training experiences do not match those encountered in the labor market. Trainers, as well as training rooms and facilities, were all deficient in TVET institutes. It was revealed that there were few well-established procedures for coordinating industrial attachments for both trainers and trainees between public TVET colleges and enterprises. It was also discovered that government initiatives in TVET institutions have had little impact on skill development strategies. As a consequence of the research, it was determined that graduates of TVET education programs are not adequately prepared for the labor market. The researcher recommends that TVET institutions continue to update their infrastructure, that TVETA establish policy guidelines on the provision of relevant quality education programs, and that the government intervene by issuing a policy guideline for TVET institutions and industries collaborations on industrial attachments, as well as ensuring adequate provision of modern infrastructural facilities, quality, and equitable access to educational opportunities.