Vacational training and rural employment: an investigation into some factors which influence the local employment of youth polytechnic graduates inMachakos District, Kenya

Abstract

This study investigates some of the major factors which influence the local employment of Youth Polytechnic graduates in Machakos District. The study is based on the hypothesis that the individual Youth Polytechnic graduate's personal characteristics, parental background, and the agro-ecological potential of his/her home area affect the graduate's ability to obtain gainful employment in the local area. A sample of 128 respondents, all Youth Polytechnic graduates residing or working in their home areas, were traced and interviewed. These respondents were drawn purposively from 8 Youth Polytechnics - 4 from high potential areas and 4 from low potential areas distributed over Machakos District. Eight Youth Polytechnic managers were also interviewed. The key instrument of data collection was the ,interview schedule, which was used in both instances. However, unstructured interviews were also administered to key informants. The study found that the majority of the respondents were in. gainful employment in their home areas, although the percentage of those in wage employment was higher than that of those in self-employment. This phenomenon was attributed to the fact that most trainees graduated at a tender age before they could develop a sense of responsibility or win public confidence. Besides, most graduates hailed from impoverished socioeconomic backgrounds, hence their parents could not afford to assist them with the initial working capital and tools which are requisites for self- employment It was further found that the Youth Polytechnics cater predominantly for primary school graduates and dropouts. However, it was observed that trainees with secondary school education were slowly infiltrating into the programme. This was seen as a trend that would eventually stultify the original objective of the Youth Polytechnic programme, which was basically to cater for primary school leavers and dropouts. Female graduates were found to show a low rate of employment vis-a-vis their male counterparts. Other factors found to be influencing the graduate's ability to acquire local employment were the graduate's age, education level, length of time since graduation, attitude towards the training, the period of training, personal aspirations in terms of potential workplace and type of work, and the ogre-ecological potential of the graduates' home area. However, the type of Youth Polytechnic attended and the possession of a trade test certificate were found to have no significant influence on the graduates' ability to acquire local gainful employment. It was concluded that the main objective of YPs should be to offer technical training to all school leavers without regard to where they should work and what type of work they should do. It was also recommended that the YP movement should be expanded to accommodate primary and secondary school leavers without disadvantaging either group, and that YP instructors should monitor the changing local communities' needs in order to avert saturation of the local labour markets with skills which are not immediately in demand. Finally, it was felt that the YP training should be harmonized with the 8.4.4 education system to prevent a potentially competitive situation arising in the very near future.