Relevance of Technical Training Institutions Taught Skills to Current Job Skill Needs in Industries and Business Organizations

Abstract

Technical education in Kenya is a necessary condition that enables members of society to productively function in technologically rapidly changing society. Technical training institutions have the responsibility to develop skilled Artisans, Craftsmen and Technician for employment in business organizations and industries. The training in T.T.Is should therefore be market driven. The current study was designed to investigate the perception of employers towards skill training in T.T.Is to skill needs in industries and business organizations. Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. Snowball sampling technique was used to identify T.T.I graduates and their employers became automatic respondents. A sample size of one hundred and sixty eight respondents was used for the study. The study found out that T.T.Is rarely consults the employers (87.5%) on market skill needs. Majority of respondents felt that training facilities used by T.T.Is are inferior to facilities used in industries and business organizations, slightly relevant (39.9%) and obsolete (35.7%). T.T.I graduates were subjected to training 84.5% before commencing work mainly because T.T.I graduates lacked adequate skills (69.6%). Majority of respondents indicated that T.T.I graduates posses’ very irrelevant skills (42.3%) in relation to skill needs in industries and business organizations. This implies that there exists a miss-match between skills training in T.T.Is and skill needs in industries and business organizations. The training policies need to be urgently reviewed to ensure that training is market driven and employers are regularly consulted on market skill needs. The study recommends an urgent overhaul of the training curriculum to enhance adequacy of skill training and relevance to skill needs in industries and business organizations.

Key words: Skills, Relevance and Adequacy