Graduates urged to embrace technical expertise to boost employability 

Young people have been encouraged to master practical, hands-on skills alongside their academic qualifications to meet the rising demands in a competitive job market.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): Dr. Esther Muoria said that employers are prioritizing candidates who demonstrate clear mastery of specific skill sets.

Speaking during a Career Fair held at Nyakach Technical Training Institute in Kisumu County, Dr. Muoria stressed that the job market requires graduates who can perform, solve problems, adapt to technology and deliver results.

“The world of today is asking what your competence is and not the certificates you are holding. Employers are keen on what you can do. Once you are able to demonstrate that, everybody comes after you,” she said.

The PS highlighted several reforms the government has put in place to ensure that young people graduating from tertiary institutions and universities gain practical, technical, and relevant skills that are applicable in the workplace.

For instance, the government has implemented the Competency-Based Education and Training to ensure that training is practical, industry-aligned and focused on outcomes.

On the dual training model adopted in TVETs, the government is ensuring that learning takes place both at the institutions and in real industry environments.

The PS also noted that the government, in collaboration with development partners, has established strong industry linkages to prepare trainees for employment, entrepreneurship, self-reliance and global opportunities.

Dr. Muoria noted that while degrees at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels remain important, they are no longer sufficient on their own without practical expertise anchored in a specific domain.

“Universities build academic excellence, research, innovation and professional depth. TVET institutions, on the other hand, build practical competence, productivity, entrepreneurship, and hands-on capacity for industry. These pathways are not a competition but are part of one national skills ecosystem,” she explained.

The PS added that the nation requires thinkers and makers, researchers and technicians, professionals and innovators jointly working together to build a productive and a competitive country.

Dr. Muoria termed the TVET training as a strategic pathway that produces technicians, technologists, artisans and innovators contributing in national development.

“I have told my technical officers, the principals and the directors that we are going to train these young people directionally, with the end in mind.

When we train our young people, what must be at the back of our minds is that it is us who should be providing these young people with a destination,” she observed.

The PS insisted that trainees graduating from TVET institutions should stop donning the conventional robe and sash during graduation.

She pointed out that the graduation ceremonies should be a platform to promote the skills and expertise acquired by the trainees, as opposed to only celebrating academic achievements.

“Graduates should be presented according to their skills; those who have been trained as mechanical engineers or plumbers should graduate in their respective work attires to show the world that they are skilled professionals,” Dr. Muoria said.

She stressed the importance of a training model centered on outcomes rather than mere output, with a clear focus on the career paths awaiting graduates after completing their studies.

By Robert Ojwang