Industry-TVET Collaboration on Students’ Skill Acquisition:The Case of TVET Institutions in North Rift Region, Kenya

Abstract

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) applies to all forms and aspects of education that are technical and vocational in nature, provided either in educational institutions or under their authority, by public authorities, the private sector or through other forms of organized education, formal or non-formal, aiming to ensure that all members of the community have access to the pathways of lifelong learning. Recently, TVET has become a subject for discussion at summits, academic conferences and at policy circles in most developing countries including Kenya. TVET institutions facilitate the acquisition of the practical and applied skills as well as basic scientific knowledge. However, many research findings have revealed that TVET has been limited on skill acquisition in most countries. On the other hand, the synergy between TVET institutions and industry would greatly encourage and augment a partnership that would result in graduate employability and general skill acquisition. Therefore, this study sought to establish the effect of industry-TVET institutions collaboration on skill acquisition. A case study design was adopted in the present study where research questionnaires were randomly distributed to a sample of 712, 104 and 32 students, lecturers and industry supervisors respectively. Findings from the study revealed that practical skill was the main type of skill acquired through the collaboration. Results further showed that majority of the students (over 70%) reported that the collaboration played a role in relevant skill acquisition. Similarly, majority of the lectures and supervisors agreed that the collaboration is of significance in students’ skill acquisition. Therefore, the collaboration should be strengthened