Youth unemployment is a common phenomenon in many informal settlements in Kenya. Despite being economically productive, many youth continue to languish in poverty due to lack of employability skills. The Government and other private actors have made considerable efforts to increase the capacity of youth to gain access to employment. In Kenya, initiatives such as Youth Development Fund, UWEZO Fund and establishment of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions have been undertaken to provide youth with employability skills and seed capital for entrepreneurship developme
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Youth unemployment is a common phenomenon in many informal settlements in Kenya. Despite being economically productive, many youth continue to languish in poverty due to lack of employability skills. The Government and other private actors have made considerable efforts to increase the capacity of youth to gain access to employment. In Kenya, initiatives such as Youth Development Fund, UWEZO Fund and establishment of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions have been undertaken to provide youth with employability skills and seed capital for entrepreneurship development. Cognizant of these efforts, this study focused on assessing the impact of Vocational Education and Training on socioeconomic empowerment of youth in Mukuru slum. The slum was purposively sampled due to ease of access, its closeness to the industrial area and high population of unemployed youth. Descriptive research design was used, targeting youth between 15 and 35 years old from 3 TVET institutions in Mukuru slums. Respondents were selected using different sampling techniques including stratified sampling, simple random sampling and purposive sampling. Questionnaires, in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussion were used to collect both primary and secondary data, which was thereafter coded and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.
The study revealed that personal interest, job satisfaction and future employment prospects are the key factors influencing the choice of TVET course by youth. It also demonstrated that TVET courses equip youth with multiple skill benefits such as self-awareness, effective communication, stress management, time management, interpersonal relations, and basic problem solving. Irrespective of their employment status, the study indicated that majority of the youth are still able to utilize their acquired TVET skills. The study concluded that TVET, as a source providing skilled workers, plays a significant role in enhancing socioeconomic empowerment of youth in Mukuru slums. Finally, it makes recommendations to public policy makers, development partners and the academy.
Published abstract.
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