NAIROBI, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and the World Bank are planning to partner to boost technical training in Kenya.
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Principal Secretary Dinah Mwinzi told a media briefing in Nairobi that under the collaboration, Kenya will receive technical and financial support to reform its vocational training sector.
"The partnership will enable Kenya to revamp its technical schools in order to train 150,000 students annually," Mwinzi said during a consultative meeting on regulations governing Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutes in Kenya.
The Bretton Woods institution will also assist Kenya to benchmark its technical training with international standards.
Mwinzi said that the overall objective is to reduce the level of unemployment by ensuring that vocational training institutes produce graduates that match industry needs.
Mwinzi said that years of underinvestment in the vocational sector has led to a decline of the sector. The East African nation has already appointed a consultant to begin developing the training systems required.
Under the cooperation, Kenya will receive support to establish a National Training Systems Standards.
Mwinzi said that the standards will ensure that all graduates of technical training schools will have qualifications that meet requirements of industry, regulators and professional bodies.
The partnership will focus on building capacity in ten sectors including maritime, construction, agro-processing and Information and Communication Technology where Kenya has a deficit of skilled labor force.
According to the PS, Kenya requires to train an additional 25,000 skilled personnel in the maritime sector alone to help exploit its vast marine resources.
