Impact of the Village Polytechnic Programme on Employment and Rural Development

Abstract

The programme to provide a solution to the problem of unemployment among School leavers and promotion of rural development has high priority in the Kenya development plan. The majority of the rapidly growing younger population

must find employment and self-employment in the rural areas. Cheaper opportunities to create a job are anticipated in the Kenya's informal sector than in the modern sector. The emphasis on rural development in the new plan is closely tied to the need for employment creation. Thus, the Kenya government introduced occupational training

through the Village Polytechnic Programme to provide a solution to the problem of unemployed Primary School leavers in the rural areas and to promote rural deveIopment. The study reported in this management project is anlage Polytechnic Programme on employment and rural development In Western Province It ellcited important information from the Village Polytechnic managers, officials of the Village Polytechnic Programme and the Village Polytechnic leavers. This information has been utilized in determination of the impact of the VilIage programme on employment and rural development in Western Province. Information for the decision-maker is almost always insufficient. A decision-maker is always on the look out for information to solve numerous problems which affect the organization or the programme. The study drew information which would be useful to the decision-makers in planning to improve performance of the Village Polytechnic Programme in Kenya. information was obtained by the use of questionnaires which were submitted to the Village Polytechnic Managers and Leavers. Interviews and perusal of Iiterature and documents were also employed in obtaining information. WhiIe the Vi Ilage Polytechnic Programme is fulfilling a need, the VilIage PoIytechnics and the Leavers are faced with many practical problems. The study identified practical problems which miIitated against the achievement of the objectives of the ViIlage Polytechnic Programme. Recommendations were made to facilitate overcoming of specific problems and thereafter attaining the objectives of the)programme. The prosperity of ViIlage Polytechnics and the leavers requires a co-ordinated reorganization of the socio-economic institutions,All resources, that is, land, labour and capital should be mobilized and the application rationalized in order to generate sufficient wealth to meet the needs of modern life for the rural people. The Village Polytechnic Programme alone cannot solve the problem of unemployment. However, 'the conclusion reached after analysis of the data is that the Village Polytechnic Programme has impact on employment and rural development in Western Province. This has been achieved through training in the ViIlage Polytechnic Programme despite a minority of the ViIlage Polytechnic leavers drifting to towns for employment. Both groups which remain in the rural areas and those which go to towns in gainful employment whereas a minority remained unemployed. The leavers of the Village Polytechnics have participated in the building up of the strength of economy in the rural areas. However, there is danger of expanding the programme with Iittle diversification in training and without survey in work opportunities. The labour market in the rural areas wiII get saturated and the problem of unemployment wiII arise. The village PoIytechnic Programme shouId consider good pIanning as the first strategy to achieve its objectives of training young people in needed skills for local self-employment and improvement of famiIy Iife in the community.