Kenya is stepping up efforts to transform its technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector into a major engine of industrialisation, with the Government seeking deeper international partnerships to ensure graduates meet global skills standards.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training Principal Secretary Esther Thaara Muoria said Kenya could no longer afford to train young people solely for the local job market, insisting that the country must produce a workforce capable of competing anywhere in the world.
Dr Muoria was speaking at Kabete National Polytechnic during the closing ceremony of the August 2026 assessment programme conducted in partnership with the Australian-based Signet Institute.
The exercise brought together Kenyan trainers, students and Australian master assessors in what officials described as an important test of the country’s readiness for internationally benchmarked technical training.
“We are not training our students just for locality. We want them internationalised.”
The PS said the positive assessment by the Australian experts had given Kenya an important external endorsement of the capabilities of its TVET institutions and trainees.
She said the feedback should give Kenyan trainers and students the confidence to participate in international skills competitions and pursue opportunities beyond the country’s borders.
Dr Muoria said international exposure would allow Kenyan workers to acquire new experience and skills abroad before returning home to contribute to industrial development.
She linked the initiative directly to Kenya’s ambition to become a highly industrialised economy, arguing that the responsibility for transforming the country ultimately rests with Kenyans themselves.
“This country is not going to be industrialised by anybody coming from out there. People coming from outside will come here to do business and leave. It is our responsibility to industrialise this country,” she said.
The PS said Kenya’s partnership with Australia was an example of how international agreements should translate into practical programmes rather than remain ceremonial occasions.
The collaboration followed an MOU signed between the Kenyan TVET sector and Signet Institute in Adelaide, Australia.
Dr Muoria said the agreement had already begun producing tangible results through joint training, assessment and exposure to international standards.
She thanked officials and partners involved in establishing the collaboration, including Australia’s representatives and Signet leadership, for committing resources and expertise to Kenya’s skills-development agenda.
The partnership, she said, demonstrated the value of linking Kenyan institutions with international training organisations that can provide independent assessment and technical expertise.
Signet operations manager Mohit said his organisation had initially been uncertain about how an Australian qualification could successfully be delivered thousands of kilometres away in Kenya.
He said the differences in education systems, procedures and time zones presented significant logistical challenges.
There had also been concerns that the MOU could become another international agreement celebrated with photographs and handshakes but with little practical follow-up.
Those doubts, he said, had now been dispelled.
“We are not discussing whether it can be done, because we are doing it.”
Mr Mohit said Australian master trainers had worked directly with their Kenyan counterparts and witnessed students demonstrate their skills under internationally informed assessment procedures.
He described the programme as the beginning of what could become a model for international TVET cooperation.
The Australian assessors praised the Kenyan trainees and trainers following the exercise, with one assessor saying about 90 per cent of the students had demonstrated the competencies required.
The experts also commended the hospitality extended to them and the cooperation they received from Kenyan institutions.
One assessor, who has worked in the trade sector for 25 years, described the experience as among the most rewarding of his career.
Another said his visit had changed his perception of Kenya, adding that he had come primarily to assess trainers but left with a strong appreciation of the talent among Kenyan trainees.
The assessors said students displayed technical competence as well as interpersonal qualities needed in their respective professions.
They, however, challenged the trainees to become more confident and ask questions whenever they encounter difficulties.
The positive assessment is expected to strengthen Kenya’s confidence as it prepares to pursue greater participation in international skills competitions.
Kabete National Polytechnic Principal Patrick Muchemi said the success of the first cohort had laid the groundwork for a much bigger assessment programme.
He challenged participating institutions to prepare for the next phase, which could involve up to 1,000 candidates.
“The next round will not be 100. Be ready to assess 1,000.”
Mr Muchemi said five Kenyan institutions had participated in the first exercise, with specialised assessment centres established to handle different areas of training.
The centres provided facilities for disciplines including wall and floor tiling, community services, bricklaying, automotive and diesel engine training.
Nairobi National Polytechnic hosted the automotive and diesel-engine assessment, while Kabete National Polytechnic handled other specialised areas.
Trainers from the participating institutions were deployed to the different centres, enabling them to share expertise and jointly prepare candidates.
Mr Muchemi said the experience had demonstrated that Kenyan TVET institutions possessed the facilities, trainers and capacity required to undertake sophisticated technical assessments.
Dr Muoria said the Government was simultaneously expanding links between TVET institutions and industry to ensure that training responds directly to the needs of the economy.
She cited ongoing efforts to integrate the automotive and mechanical sectors into TVET programmes, following similar partnerships already being developed in agriculture and apparel manufacturing.
She said experts from the State Department and universities had been assessing how automotive and mechanical training could be strengthened to make graduates more productive.
The Government is also encouraging agricultural training institutions to establish direct links with industries involved in production, processing and export.
Dr Muoria said such partnerships would enable trainees to acquire practical skills while creating pathways into employment and entrepreneurship.
She noted that some TVET institutions were now better equipped for practical training than universities, an indication of the growing importance of technical education in Kenya’s economic transformation.
The PS said the Government’s objective was to position TVET institutions at the heart of Kenya’s industrialisation agenda.
She said Kenya could not achieve its economic ambitions without a technically skilled workforce capable of operating modern machinery, developing products and competing in international markets.
The Signet partnership therefore represents more than an assessment exercise. It is part of a broader attempt to move Kenyan technical education from classroom-based certification towards internationally recognised competencies, industry exposure and actual production.
With the number of candidates expected to rise from about 100 in the inaugural exercise to as many as 1,000 in the next round, the programme could become a significant pathway for scaling international standards across Kenya’s TVET system.
For Dr Muoria, the ultimate goal is clear, a Kenyan workforce confident enough to compete globally and skilled enough to drive the country’s industrial transformation.
“Let nobody be left too far behind.”
