The government is charting a new course in the fight against youth unemployment by overhauling its technical and vocational training approach to focus less on paperwork and more on real jobs and business creation.
This strategic shift was unveiled during the 2025 National TVET Career and Employment Summit held at the Kenya Coast National Polytechnic, where government officials and industry leaders outlined a bold plan to close the gap between classrooms and careers.
Acting TVET Secretary Joseph Njau, who represented the PS for TVET, emphasized that the era of training institutions merely issuing certificates is over.
“We are moving from just training to actively engaging in job creation,” Njau said. “Our role now extends to mentoring young people to become entrepreneurs, creators of employment, and skilled professionals ready for industry.”
The summit, organized in partnership with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), is part of a broader national initiative to connect young people directly with employers, industries, and investors. At least 600 youth are expected to secure jobs by the end of the year through this program.
A key pillar of this transformation is the modular training system, designed to equip learners with marketable skills in as little as three months. Courses are broken into short, intensive skill blocks, enabling students to enter the job market even before completing their full programs.
Njau highlighted how a trainee in building and construction, for example, is placed on-site from day one, performing real tasks like measuring, digging, and building.
“Within three months, that learner is ready for employment,” he explained. “We’re putting 90% emphasis on hands-on training and 10% on theory, with continuous assessment embedded into daily learning.”
This approach ensures students build a portfolio of evidence throughout their training, making final exams less about memory and more about demonstrated competence.
KEPSA Deputy CEO and Global Director for Youth and Jobs, Dr. Ehud Gachugu, stressed that aligning training with industry needs is crucial to solving unemployment sustainably.
“We must train for jobs, and the only way to do that is to involve the private sector fully,” he said. “Kenya’s economy is largely informal, so entrepreneurship must be given the same weight as formal employment.”
The initiative brings on board angel investors to fund youth with viable business ideas, expanding pathways beyond traditional employment to include entrepreneurship, mentorship, and apprenticeships.
The summit attracted students, training institutions, employers, and investors from across the Coast region, setting the stage for stronger partnerships between academia and industry.
By embedding the private sector into the heart of training, Kenya aims to turn its youth bulge into a skilled, entrepreneurial workforce that drives growth and innovation.
