Directorates
To achieve its mandate, the State Department has two technical directorates (Directorate of Technical Education and Directorate of Vocational, Education and Training) and General Administration and Support Services. Additionally, the State Department oversees the operation of five SAGAs namely; Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), TVET Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC), TVET Funding Board, Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), Kenya School of TVET (KSTVET) and 24 National Polytechnics.
The Directorate has the overall mandate on matters of Technical Training in the Country. This includes: Enhancing access, equity, quality and relevance at all levels of technical training, improving the quality of technical training, promoting linkages and collaborations between industry and TVET institutions; promoting innovativeness and research in TVET Institutions. The TVET sector in Kenya includes 24 National Polytechnics, one (1) Kenya School of TVET, 213 Technical and Vocational Colleges (TVCs) – Comprising of TTIs, ITs and ISTs and four (4) Special TTIs catering for hearing and visually impaired trainees.
The Directorate is mandated to formulate policy, develop and review curriculum, capacity build and give technical assistance to the counties on curriculum implementation, good governance for VTCs, ensure ICT integration and create linkages and partnerships that will improve the quality of vocational training in the country.
The Constitution 2010, in schedule four (4) devolves Village polytechnics with clear roles for each level of government. There are currently 1,222 Public VTCs with an enrolment of 141,157 trainees where 74,080 are males and 67,077 are females. There are a total of 6,061 trainers where 3,357 are male and 2,686 are female as at June 2024.
The State department has other support departments/units, which offer support services to the technical directorates. These are: Administration, Human Resource Management and Development, Accounts, Finance, Central Planning and Project Monitoring Department, Information and Communication Technology, Legal, Public Communication, Internal Audit and Supply Chain Management Unit.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA): The TVET Authority is a State Corporation under the Ministry of Education established under the TVET Act CAP. 210A. The mandate of TVETA is to regulate training in the country through development of training standards, quality assurance, registration and licensing (accreditation) of TVET institutions, programs and trainers and quality audit. Section 7 of the TVET Act CAP. 210A gives functions of the Authority.
TVET Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (TVET CDACC): TVET CDACC is a State Corporation established under the TVET Act CAP. 210A. The Council is mandated to undertake design and development of Curricula for the training institutions’ examination, assessment and competence certification and advise the Government on matters related thereto. This is in line with the policy document on Reforming Education and Training that embraces CBET approach.
Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA): The Kenya National Qualifications Authority is a State Corporation under the Ministry of Education established under KNQF Act CAP. 214. The mandate of the Authority is to establish and maintain Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF). This involves inter alia, establishing standards for recognising qualifications obtained in Kenya and outside Kenya; developing a system of competence, life-long learning and attainment of national qualifications; aligning the qualifications obtained in Kenya with global benchmarks in order to promote national and trans-national mobility of workers; strengthening the national quality assurance systems for national qualifications; and facilitating mobility and progression within education, training and career paths.
TVET Funding Board (TVETFB): TVET Act CAP. 210A Section 47 established the TVET Funding Board, whose mandate is to mobilize funds to be used for financing public technical, vocational education and training institutions under the Ministry of Education. The PWPER Report 2023 has recommended the amalgamation of HELB, TVETFB and University Funding Board (UFB) alongside the placement function by Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) into the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Board. Kenya School of TVET (KSTVET): The Kenya School of TVET is a State Corporation under the Ministry of Education which derives its authority from the TVET Act CAP. 210A, legal order number 123 of 2022 and the Executive Order No. 2 of 2023 with a mandate to train and in-service TVET practitioners, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of TVET Trainers and Support Staff, Undertake Research and Innovation activities, collaborate with recognized universities to offer programmes leading to the award of an undergraduate degree in technical and vocational education and training. It is also mandated to build the capacity of TVET Institutions’ Council and Board Members.
National Polytechnics: The sub-sector has a total of 24 National Polytechnics. The mandate of National Polytechnics is to offer training up to Higher National Diploma level and offer TVET assessment as QAIs as well as engage in research and innovation activities. The institutions can also collaborate with technical universities to offer degree programmes
