THE RELEVANCE OF AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY GRADUATES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA, BARATON TO THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IN KENYA

Abstract

This study sought to establish the relevance of automotive technology graduates from the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton (UEAB) to the automotive industry in Kenya. The study focused on relevance in terms of knowledge, attitudes and skills possessed by UEAB‟s automotive technology graduates working in the industry and the requirements by the automotive industry. UEAB is a pioneering University in Kenya offering automotive technology program at bachelors degree level. The study covered selected leading automotive companies and garages in Nairobi and Eldoret. A total of 68 respondents who included 40 automotive technology graduates working in industry, 20 employers and 8 UEAB‟s automotive technology lecturers participated in the study. The design of the study was a descriptive survey and a purposive sampling technique was employed to select the respondents. The study generated information using questionnaires, and document analysis, the combination of these methods limited the effects of extraneous variables. Data obtained was coded and classified under several categories as per variables of the study. It was then analyzed using descriptive statistics like percentages and frequencies in tables. Computer excel package was used to compute data so as to provide information and basis for description, analysis of data, make conclusions and recommendations. Findings revealed that knowledge, attitudes and skills possessed by UEAB‟s automotive technology graduates working in the Kenyan automotive industry matched those required by the industry. The conclusion based on the findings was that the automotive technology graduates from UEAB were relevant to the industry, and it recommended that, relevance could be further enhanced by the University through training in collaboration with industry and increased practical sessions