A Comparison of Technical and Vocational Acquired Skills Differences Based on Gender in Tvet Institutions, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Lower participation of women in the labor force and/or concentration of women labor in un skilled or low skilled, low income generating economic activities including part time and casual work has created many questions among the researcher on the kind and quality of technical and vocational skills acquired by woman. The current study compared technical and vocational acquired skills acquired between male and female in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, Uasin Gishu. From the findings it has been observed that Male students had significantly and highly acquired interpersonal skills, Information Communication Technical (ICT) skills, Critical analysis, ability to use numerical data and management skills than female. Male students had also acquired critical thinking skills two times higher than that of female students. In addition, the study concludes that male students had acquired skills in many areas than female students. On the other hand female students had acquired high significant skills in ability to work in a team, organizational skills and academic qualifications than male. There is need to diversify Vocational and Technical Training and improve access for and retention of girls and women in education and vocational training in such fields as science, mathematics, engineering, environmental sciences, information technology and new technologies, as well as management training. Keywords; Gender, Technical, Vocational, TVET, Skill

Challenges Facing Adoption of Information Communication Technology in African Universities

A significant number of the universities and higher educational institutions have adopted the latest technology and implemented it productively, for the development of skilled human resource in respective area of specialization, as part of their responsibility. Information and communication Technology (ICT) has grown tremendously around the globe particularly in the developed nations of the world. This growth however appears to be relatively slower in the developing nations including African nations. The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa in a recent workshop survey indicated that while some governments have produced national policies on ICT, many others are yet to do so. As such, the most asked questions  is; what are the challenges that hinder African universities to become efficient and effective in use of ICT as compared to developed nations. Keywords: ICT, universities, adoption, learnin

Relationship between Technical and Vocational Acquired Skills and Skills Required in Job Market; Evidence from TVET Institutions, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Skills are a key driver for growth, employment and competitiveness: they lay the foundation for productivity and innovation. Investment in training is also an investment in innovation, since much technical change results from incremental innovations by skills workers and engineers on the factory floor.  The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between technical and vocational acquired skills and skills required in job market. The study used questionnaires to collect data from 200 former graduates in technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Study findings provide precursory evidence that some of the skill provided in TVET like Interpersonal skills, Personal qualities, Ability to use numerical data, Critical analysis, teamwork and experience are below what is required in the job market. Nevertheless, TVET institutions were offering adequate skills equal to what employers require such as Management skills, Thinking skills and Creativity and innovative skills .As such to focus on achieving Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs), Policies and approaches to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) need to undergone major re-adjustment to upgrade the skills of those employed in new industries. Keywords: Acquired Skills, Required Skills, TVET, TVSD, Job Market

Accessibility of Technical And Vocational Training Among Disabled People: Survey Of TVET Institutions In North Rift Region, Kenya

People with disabilities face particular challenges in education and training. Most of them are deprived of access to basic literacy and numeracy skills. They also face barriers that affect access to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions some of them arising from the surrounding socio-economic environment and from mainstream TVET institutions. The main purpose of this paper was to assess barriers to accessibility of TVET institutions by disabled people in Kenya. The study was carried out in the North Rift Region of Kenya. The target population of the study consisted of the lectures and students with disabilities in 5 public TVET Institutions. Semi Structured Questionnaires were used as the main instruments for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS IBM version 20. One of the most striking findings was that disabled students in TVET institutions are discriminated and isolated. Findings also indicated that the disabled students cannot access some of the school buildings; they are also barred from enrolling in TVET due to policies that provide cut off point marks or entry behavior to courses they desire to enroll in. It was also found that teachers had positive attitude toward the disabled students, contrary to the fact that students considered teachers to be unfriendly to them.  Therefore, the paper recommended that skills training and instructional mechanisms must consider specific needs of youth with different types of disabilities before putting them together in regular class. Better coordination between the government and service providers could anticipate and mitigate this barrier. There is also the need for specialized training institutions to be upgraded and modernized, and mainstream training institutions be adjusted to include training of persons with disabilities. Keywords: TVET, Disabled Students, Accessibility, Skills, PW