By KATTI Writer
Kenya just like any other African state is struggling with the youth bulge which has created a huge unemployment problem in the country.
In 2013, the government embarked on a vigorous programme of equipping its youth with technical skills needed to drive its industrialization ambition.
Under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training ACT (TVET) Act 2013, technical training was born with the main aim of preparing the youth for work.
This takes the form of learning and developing work related skills and mastery of underlying knowledge and scientific principles.
Since the revival of technical training education in Kenya, different TVET institutes have been on the forefront to deliver on this great initiative.
Musakasa Technical Training Institutes is among those who are championing TVET training in Western region.
“When we look the most developed economies around the globe, they were able to develop because of technical skills and the government realized that its time for its youth to be equipped with the right technical skills required to realize the Vision 2030.As a TVET institute in Western region and especially here in Bungoma county, we plan to transform this county by offering technical skills that will help the locals acquire jobs or venture into self-employment, “says Tarian Newton, Deputy Principal Administration, Musakasa Technical Training Institute.
The new institute is set to become a center of excellence in Mechatronics Engineering.
Currently with a student population of 1158 and a state-of-the-art Mechatronic workshop. The institute is on the right path towards achieving its goal.
Tarian adds that “We offer Diploma and Certificate courses in Mechatronics Engineering, Building & Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Electrical & Electronics, Information Communication Technology, Business Management, Agriculture & Agricultural Engineering and Hospitality & Institutional Management.”
According to Harun Mwangi, Head of Department, Mechatronics Engineering, the biggest challenge the institute faces is inadequate trainers.
“We have a 21 trainers employed by the government and another 26 additional employed by the Board of Governors, but the increasing number of enrollment each year which has been necessitated by the funding from the government we still lack the number to match the number of enrollment .I believe with more trainers we can actually transform the lives of the youth in this region.”
A part from the trainer’s issue, the other major problem facing the institute is lack of water, hostels and poor road infrastructure.
“The number of our students are going up each enrollment year and despite the fact that a good percentage of these students are within this area, we still struggle to accommodate them because of the limited hostel spaces within our compound. The locals should take up the initiative to build better housing facilities in order to accommodate the extra number of students. We plan to drill at least four boreholes to help address the water problem in the institute as well as the surrounding areas, ”comments Tarian.
Musakasa Technical Training Institute is located in Bumula Sub-County of Bungoma County. The idea to start the institute was initiated ted by the political, religious and community leadership in 2010.
This was in line with the government policy of establishing a technical training institute in every constituency. With the political leadership availing the much needed funds to purchase approximately 5.6hectares of land. It was registered by the then Ministry of Higher Education Science and Technology (MOHEST) in December 2012.
The first batch of 22 students were enrolled in Fashion Design and Garment Making Technology at Artisan level.
