Influence of vocational training on youth employment: a case of Mukuru Skills Training Centre, Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Youth unemployment is one of the most critical social and economic problems that less developed countries face today. Yet little is known about how best to smooth the school-to-work transition or to boost human capital for those not on the academic track. Vocational education is one promising avenue for addressing the problem. Even though a considerable amount of information from Mukuru Skills Training Centre (MUST) show that majority of the youth trained were able to get employment, nonetheless, so far, these reports are not based on any sufficient data from empirical studies. Thus, such admirable project may not be adequately improving youth employment in Mukuru slums. Therefore this study examined the influence of MUST on youth employment. It focused on youth trained in MUST and critically looked at the influence of quality of the training, type of the skill training and curriculum on youth employment. Primary data was collected from a sample of 92 respondents whereas secondary data was collected through document analysis. Data collected was analyzed and discussions and recommendations were based on the findings of the study. The study revealed that 89% of youth trained in MUST acquire employment out of which majority 78.1 % were found to be in the informal employment. Majority of youth trained at MUST are females 68.3% mainly in hairdressing. Majority of MUST graduate earn between Ksh 5,000 - 9,000 per month, which is below average pay for such cadre. MUST depends mainly on donor funds (85%) for its operations. The study recommends upgrading of teachers' professional skills, formation of strong links between MUST and employers, review and enhanced supervision of curriculum, development of sustainability strategy and database of graduates and involvement of all stakeholders in implementation of all the recommendations.