Government Launch eTechnical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Persons with Disability

By Julius Mbega

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

The government has officially endorsed EUNI Training Institute and EBU global recognised institutions to begin offering the first ever exclusively only online eTVET.

The EUNI Training Institute offers programmes that are accredited by the Association of Business Executives (UK) and recognized within Kenya’s TVET framework and will enable the training to be accessible to all and extremely cheap.

It is an initiative between EUNI Training institute and European Business Institute of Luxembourg (EBU)

Speaking during the EUNI Training institute TVET Launch which was virtual, state department of competence based curriculum and state department for TVETs director James Muchiri who was the chief guest during the establishment of EUNI Training Institute said the move provides an opportunity to explore innovative models of delivering TVETs particularly through digital and flexible learning platforms.

“Such initiatives can complement existing institutions and expand access to training especially for learners that may not be reached through conventional systems,” he said.

The director said the approach of TVETs put emphasis on the practical skills acquisition, demonstration of competence and alignment of training to occupational standards and labour market needs.

“We therefore encourage continuous collaboration with industry and partners to ensure that training programs remain responsible advanced and future oriented through skills and transfer in innovation and global exposure from the diaspora contributes significantly to our training systems.”

He said platforms such as EUNI training program demonstrate how diaspora engagement can be effectively harnessed to expand opportunities and introduce new approaches in skills development.

Irene Karari Kamau, ministry of foreign affairs state department for diaspora affairs said part of their mandate is to support the Kenyan diaspora in enhancing employment opportunities for investments and also for skills and technology.

“We remain committed in building strategic partnerships with diaspora professionals and hail institutions such as EBU and EUNI Training Institute to strengthen education, training and capacity building,” she said.

The official said their collaboration with EBU has already yielded significant impact with over 4000 scholarships already given to Kenyans in areas such as business technology, AI and Data science.

While welcoming the establishment of EUNI training institute, an innovative E-TVET model affiliated with EBU, she said the institution offers Diploma programs while providing industry aligned, flexible and globally competitive training.

“We look forward to exploring employment pathways for Kenyans abroad strengthening linkages with institutions such as EBU in Luxembourg and expanding scholarships and learning opportunities for citizens and public officers,” she added in a speech representing the principal secretary for Diaspora Affairs.

She asked Kenyans, especially youth and those people living with disabilities to take advantage of the opportunities and urged stakeholders to support the initiatives which are innovative and inclusive TVET models adding that the government was fully committed to support diaspora led initiatives that contribute to the national development.

Dr James Mulli, academic dean and founder of EBU, said education was a human right and should be accessible affordable, equitably more than anything else.

“What makes us unique is that we are going to be offering two dual awards, I should say and these dual awards will mean that you will be able to be part of a global environment,” he said.

Apart from Education, he said those beneficiaries of the EBU EUNI programs will also be able to benefit in terms of employment opportunities.

“Not only are we going to bring cutting edge topics such as AI, we are looking at robotics, we are looking at going beyond, we are starting with a business Diploma.”

The EUNI EBU courses, he said, would be disruptive and affordable as they are priced much lower, adding that if they get sponsorships the costs would be lowered even further.

He said they should offer education that was recognized locally and internationally, in the UK in addition to an EU based Luxembourg program.

The EBU President said students would be exposed to the new learning applications including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, DeepSeek, and Claude among others in discussion rooms in oder to enhance learning.

Fred Oanda, former director of accreditation and outreach services for TVETs and a board member of EUNI Training Institute, said the innovations that were coming up as in research and innovation were very critical and expressed optimism that that was the path that EBU and EUNI was following.

Oanda said the move was key to ensure that graduates are conversant with the new innovations that are coming out.

“The issue of the usage of AI is very critical in TVETs such that it helps in ensuring trainees have the skills, not trainees alone even the trainers have the skills of using AI. You see the issues such as Robotic competition, those are the issues to do with artificial intelligence that we need,” he said.

According to him competence based education and training was very critical and it is where Kenya was headed to.

He said as much as students are given the hard skills, they want to get jobs, the soft skills will help them retain the jobs and even sustain themselves in the business world if they want to be self employed.

“That is the emphasis that we are talking about that ius why we are talking about TVETs which simply means you have the knowledge, skills and you have the attitude.”

Hellen Chilisa, former deputy permanent secretary for Botswana’s Ministry of Basic Education and Ministry of Entrepreneurship, who is currently based in Canada and now chairperson of the EBU board of directors, said TVETs was the backbone of the economy.

She said all the industrialised nations that have a sustained economic growth have behind them a well respected and funded technical and Vocational Educational Training System.

“Brands that we admire the Siemens, BMW, Volkswagen, IKEA and Samsung and so forth were not built on university degrees alone, they were built on skilled hands, precision and craftsmanship hands that were TVET trained,” she said.

Chilisa said in Germany and the Netherlands 60 percent of high school leavers choose the TVET route and the 40 percent go to university adding that those who choose TVETS are the most prosperous and most innovative economies of the world.

She said as many countries in the African continent and beyond compete daily for inward investments that leads to manufacturing and towards industrialisations the critical questions to ask is who would operate the machines, turn the ranches, or run the factory floor.

“Yes, we may be living in the age of Artificial intelligence and AI that will indeed transform the place of work but even in an emerging age we will need skilled work, we will need people who can assemble, maintain, repair and manage.”

She said EBU was proud and honoured to launch the partnership with EUNI Training Institute adding that their fully accredited TVET programs are designed with two non-negotiables that are affordability and accessibility.