The County government of Trans Nzoia has urged students who didn’t proceed to institutions of higher learning to enroll for training at various vocational training institutions in the region. The County Director for Vocational Training Mr. Eliud Lusweti, speaking when he toured Salama area in Endebess Sub County where the County government is planning to put up a vocational training centre, said there is a high number of students who are yet to join the institutions which offer training on artisan courses. “We urge students who are at home to visit the nearest vocational training centres to enrol for their courses of choice. Such training will enable them to be self-reliant,” he said.
Lusweti appealed to the students to turn up in large numbers and enroll in the colleges which the County has set up to help them gain the necessary skills, adding that those who perform well may be employed in the same institutions.
He said Trans Nzoia County has a deficiency when it comes to Human Resource personnel, claiming most of the labour in vocational training centres hail from other Counties. He also noted that the wrong perception about the centres is that they are meant for students who never performed well in the exams.
The area Sub County administrator Scholastica Nalobile said the devolved government is committed to increasing the number of vocational training institutions in every part of the county. “For instance, we have noted that there is a demand for a training centre for the residents of Salama. This will be prioritized since it is part of our development agenda, said Mrs Nalobile.
Matumbei Member of County of Assembly Jeremiah Wakhulia called on the County government to give higher priority to bursary funding for needy students in vocational institutions. He said students in vocational centres are given only Kshs 10,000 while those in universities are given Kshs 15,000, which isn’t right since most students in tertiary institutions have no other source of funding.
However, he said the issue had been communicated to the Trans Nzoia County Education CEC, and they’re waiting for a response, failure to which the matter will be forwarded to the County Assembly for amendment of the law governing bursary allocation. The County government of Trans Nzoia has 30 vocational training centres which offer training in Masonry, Carpentry, Motor Vehicle Repair skills among other courses.