Over 20,000 Students Undergoing Vocational Training Across the Country Says Principal Secretary
Labour and Skills Development principal secretary Shadrack Mwadime (Photo By Robby Ngoba)
By Robby Ngoba
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
The government has launched 483 trade testing series countrywide for more than 21,582 candidates in various Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions.
Speaking at Dzitsoni Vocational Training center in Kilifi County, Labour and Skills Development principal secretary Shadrack Mwadime said the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) were mandated to assess the students.
The trade testing series will determine the level of competence of the students for the purpose of certification and subsequent entry into employment.
According to the PS the state has started offering loans through youth enterprise funds to those who are unable to pay for their school fees and pay the loan letter when they start earning.
He encouraged youths to embrace online and overseas jobs as opportunities for employment.
”We want to encourage our young people to go out and take these jobs because at the end of the day our economy is going to expand,” he said.
To safeguard the rights of Kenyans working abroad, the secretary said the government had signed human rights based bilateral labour agreements with different countries of Middle East.
”We have had a bilateral labour agreement with Qatar, Oman, Arab and Doha for the last twenty years and we have never had any challenges with them.”
The PS put on notice those operating unscrupulous recruiting agencies of harsh punishment if caught saying that opportunities abroad should not be turned into misery and abuse of Kenyans.
”We have deregistered 500 rogue agencies and we are working with the security agencies to deal with this issue once and for all.”
NITA chairman Aden Noor Ali says the authority gives trade tests to youths and even old people three times in a year.
”We normally train about 150,000 every year in 43 different skills,” he said.
The chairman challenged youths to take advantage of the testing series and get employed overseas.
”The job market have turned from the universities to the skills, these are the people at the ministry of labour we normally take them abroad to go and work to support their families and the economy.”
Parliamentary labour committee chair and Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga urged the young people to take advantage of the initiative so as to uplift their livelihoods.
”We need to stop the perspective that village polytechnics are for failures because you can change your life through the grass roots courses,” he said.
The legislator also put on notice employers who pay low wages and do not complying with the employment labour laws saying their days were numbered.
”Our labour inspectors will go to companies which pay poor wages to inspect their payrolls and take corrective actions.”
Kilifi executive member for education Franklin Kaingu says there are 42 vocational training centers, but 50 percent of them are operating below par due to issues afflicting them.
