JOOUST To Provide TVET Programs 2023
JOOUST To Provide TVET Programs 2023. The first chartered university in Kenya to provide artisan courses is expected to be Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), which is located in the Bondo subcounty of Siaya.
To give students who are interested in learning artisan skills options, the university decided to create a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) department.
The project also aims to lower the county’s unemployment rate because there aren’t many white-collar jobs there.
TVET is the only way to do this, according to Prof. Steven Angong, Vice Chancellor of JOOUST, who also noted that there aren’t enough artisans in Kenya despite a rising demand for their services.
With more competent artisans in Siaya, there will be more options for young people to find work and less of a need to import artisan services from other nations, according to the university’s goal.
A JOOUST student who developed a method of generating electricity from human waste was referenced by Angong’ as evidence that people should stop viewing TVET students as academic failures.
Nowadays, JOOUST provides training for electricians, carpenters, masons, and plumbers.
Among the pioneers of TVET education are Kenya Water Institute and Kenya Power Lighting Company, which have benefited from the government’s program to certify its TVET trainees in the Recognition of Previous Learning program since 1970.
JOOUST TVET Director Erick Okute stated that the organization presently offers 26 programs and is asking the TVET authority to increase that number to 30. The students feel like they are part of a university even if they are enrolled in artisan classes.
Okute urged the government to support TVET students and take into account their eligibility for funding from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to assist in covering school costs. The number of students attending classes at the university is rising yearly despite the absence of tuition.
Students have been switching from Bachelor’s degrees to diplomas, according to the university, who claims that the diploma is less theoretical than the degree and is more skill-based and marketable.
Engineer Maurice Nyandawa urged female students to engage in TVET programs rather than limiting themselves to male pupils.
In order to raise awareness of artisan courses among people who might be interested in taking them but are unaware of their availability, secondary school students have also been visiting the university.
A good development for Siaya County and all of Kenya is the establishment of a TVET department at JOOUST. It will lower unemployment rates and provide young people with highly sought-after craft skills.
To meet the growing demand for trained artisans, the government must expand TVET colleges. Additionally, empowering TVET students and giving them funding consideration from HELB would inspire more students to enroll and achieve their goals.