Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions as Catalysts of Reduction of Unemployment Rates in Kiambu County, Kenya

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Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVETs) have been at the center of equipping students with prerequisite skills to fit into the job market by offering programmes aim to bridge the skills gap among students. However, in Kiambu County, rates of unemployment have continued to rise. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine how TVETS act as catalysts for reduction of unemployment rates in Kiambu County. The study was anchored on the human capital theory. The study adopted mixed methodology and concurrent triangulation research design. Target population comprised 30 principals, 578 tutors and 4879 employed TVET graduates totaling 5487 respondents from which 372 respondents was sampled using Yamane’s Formula. Stratified sampling was adopted to create 12 strata based on the number of sub-counties in Kiambu County. From each sub-county, one TVET principal was selected using purposive sampling. However, from each of the sampled TVETs, 5 tutors and 25 employed TVET graduates were selected using simple random sampling. This enabled the researcher to sample 12 principals, 60 tutors and 300 employed TVET graduates. Questionnaires were used to collect data from employed TVET graduates whereas interview guides were used to collect data from principals and tutors. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically along the objectives and presented in narrative forms. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages and inferentially using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Analysis with the help of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences and presented by using tables. The study found that there is an increasing rate of unemployment in Kiambu County for the last five years. To mitigate these challenges, TVETs have refocused the training to equip students with job-specific practical skills, entrepreneurship education, linkages and internship as well as integration of ICT and innovation. However, much is yet to be fully realized in improving status of unemployment rates. Thus, the study recommends that TVETs should collaborate closely with local and international industries to ensure that their training programmes align with current market demands. By continuously updating the curriculum to include emerging technologies, sector-specific skills, and soft skills like communication and problem-solving, TVET graduates will be better equipped to meet employers’ needs.