County to establish Model Vocational Training Centres
The Kakamega County Government will establish three Model Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) to serve as Centres of Excellence in a bid to improve training and transfer of technical knowledge and skills.
The Model VTCs will be constructed to serve Kakamega North, Kakamega South and Kakamega Central.
In Kakamega North, the Model VTC will be established in one location to Serve Lugari, Likuyani and Malava sub counties.
Kakamega Central Region Model VTC will serve Navakholo, Lurambi, Shinyalu and Ikolomani Sub counties.
The one for Kakamega South will serve Mumias East, Mumias West, Matungu, Butere and Khwisero Sub Counties.
The Model VTCs will be equipped with modern technologies and all tools and equipment to be utilized for benchmarking and transfer of skills to trainees and instructors.
The Move comes as the county government has continued to register an increase in enrollment of students in the county polytechnics from 3432 students in 2015 to 9000 trainees in 2017.
The Number of trainees jumped from 9000 in 2017 to over 15000 trainees in 2024 following an aggressive marketing campaign by the county government in partnership with Zizi Afrique. The County has 68 VTCs and 492 instructors.
The County Government will also collaborate with the Kenya Commercial Bank(KCB) through the Kakamega Microfinance Agency to offer financial literacy to trainees who graduate from VTCs and provide credit to them to open workshops in the areas they have trained in.
Speaking during the finals of the 2024 Edition of the Kakamega County Polytechnics Sports competition at Approved School grounds in Lurambi, Governor Fernandes Barasa asked locals to enroll in the Vocational Training Centres to acquire skills that would enable them to either create their own jobs or be employed.
He said the County Government has disbursed Sh 100million this financial year as capitation as he encouraged learners to apply for additional county bursaries.
Governor Barasa said that the county government will make County Polytechnics sports an annual competition as a way to unite residents while also as a platform to market Vocational training institutions to county residents.
He said the county government through the bursary scheme will cater for the costs of registering for examinations for students as the county meets all the expenses for their tuition fees.
“We are giving priority to our county polytechnics so that when our youths graduate from these institutions they can have an opportunity of earning a living,” he noted.
