Geoffrey Rukunja, the regional chairman of the association of heads of the technical colleges attributes to mobilisation by the government of Form Four leavers who did not qualify to join universities and other colleges government to join technical institutes.
In the last two years, the State has increased polytechnics in constituencies, which has helped reduce congestion in the institutions. “Capacity for teachers has also been boosted to ensure that the quality of training is not compromised by over-enrolment,” Said Rukunja.
Enrolment in technical training institutions in Mt Kenya region has doubled as youth seek to acquire skills for self-reliance. “The demand for a skilled workforce in the market has been a driving force for the increased enrolment.
There is high demand for skilled labour and the technical institutes are giving the best platform for such training,” he added.
Most institutions are now equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. “Not all departments are fully equipped, but the majority have the facilities needed for training,” he added.
Rukunja spoke in Murang’a town during a regional contest for technical training institutes held at Ihura stadium. The event was a platform for students to showcase their innovations and talents in automotive engineering, building, civil engineering, robotics ICT and agriculture, among others.
The coordinator said there has been great improvement on the innovations by the students, an indication that they are getting good training. Nyeri and Meru national technical institutes scooped most awards in various categories.
The national contest takes place in April in Mombasa where the central region will be represented by colleges which scooped the top three positions. “Winners at the national contest will be selected to participate in ABU Asia Robotics contest later in the year,” Rukunja said.