Nairobi: The National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) has collaborated with county governments through a consultative forum with county executives for education from the 47 counties in recognition of prior learning (RPL) to enhance job creation.
According to Kenya News Agency, the forum, held at NITA offices in Athi River subcounty, Machakos, sought to engage the counties on how they can collaborate individually or collectively and work together in RPL. The aim is to achieve NITA's target of certifying 420,000 artisans who have acquired skills through either formal education or informal experience by October 2025, in line with a presidential RRI directive.
NITA Director General (DG) Theresa Wasike, while speaking to the media after the deliberations, said they had informed the devolved entities of their mandate to collaborate through the Council of Governors (CoG) depending on each county's needs, to ensure the realization of the consultative forum resolutions. Wasike stated, "We have met with county executives for education from the 47 counties and have had deliberations on how to work together especially on (RPL), since NITA has been given a target of 420,000 people to certify by October 2025."
The DG noted that the areas of collaboration and way forward with the counties will be Research and Curriculum Development, RPL, Assessment and Certification, Labor mobility, Industrial Training Development, Accreditation and Registration, National Youth opportunities towards advancement, and Quality Assurance. She added that they discussed the importance of payment of training levy, where they have encouraged counties to work with their respective Finance and human resource departments to ensure they pay for their employees' training levy, and how NITA can partner with them in relation to Labor Mobility by formally training the youths, and also through government Trade tests to ensure they are able to earn a living.
Consequently, the DG revealed plans to collaborate through the formation of a joint technical committee to enhance NITA's relationship with the counties, including meeting annually to explore additional areas of collaboration and cement existing collaboration for mutual benefit.
Labor Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime, in a speech read on his behalf by the Secretary of Administration in the State Department for Labor, Herman Shambi, acknowledged the government's commitment to providing technical support, policy guidance, and capacity building for counties. Mwadime hailed the county government's efforts in identifying, mobilizing, and preparing candidates for RPL, which seeks to enhance employability, dignity, and mobility of workers, especially artisans, construction workers, and vocational specialists.
"This forum seeks to foster County-National partnerships to ensure quality and reach in skills delivery, so let us work together to deliver on the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) through workforce skilling," noted the PS.
On his part, the Chairman of the National Industrial Training Board (NITB), Aden Noor, pointed out that as a Board, they are working together with the management team to enhance NITA's capacity by fostering partnerships with both the National and County governments. Noor commented on the collaboration and partnerships that will bring along endless opportunities and their commitment as a board to steer the Authority towards sustainability, quality assurance, and global competitiveness in industrial training and certification. "We are also strengthening partnerships with the private sector and international agencies to expand our footprint and reach more underserved communities with industrial training and certification opportunities," he said.