Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) through its Supporting
Innovation in the Technical and Vocational Education Sector: Towards Productivity and
Competitiveness (SITVES) project held its first TVET Applied Research Forum, on November 9 and 10,
2021 at Kenya Technical Trainers College (KTTC) in Nairobi.
The three-year program which is supported by the International Development Research Centre
(IDRC) is in partnership with Linking Industry with Academia (LIWA), the Rift Valley Technical Training
Institute (RVTTI) and George Brown College from Canada. Its focus has been on fostering innovation
in Kenya’s Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) sector, by supporting researchers and
initiatives that address knowledge gaps.
The two-day hybrid forum which attracted over 500 participants from various regions of Kenya,
Canada and the U.K showcased innovations and highlighted research findings from Kenyan TVET
institutions engaged in Applied Research under the SITVES and Kenya Education for Employment
Program (KEFEP) initiatives, with the themes guided by SITVES project’s three pillars:
Innovation and
Applied Research Hubs, Gender Equality in TVET and Action Research.
Deputy Director, Technical Education, Lina Ayako, on behalf of the Principal Secretary, State
Department for Vocational and Technical Training during her opening remarks noted that “The TVET
Act gives us the mandate to train, research, and innovate. You cannot train if you do not respond to
the needs of the society.”
“Through partnership, we can provide more opportunities for students and TVET institutions to
showcase their innovations and scale up partnerships with the private sector and local
governments,” stated, Dr. Kathryn Toure, Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa
International Development Research Centre (IDRC), during her welcoming remarks.
Alain Roy, Vice President, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) in his opening remarks highlighted
that CICan was very proud of the work they have been engaged in and viewed Applied Research as a
very important component, and assured that CICan would continue to provide support “through
several initiatives and in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Education through the State
Department for Vocational and Technical Training to support Kenya’s strengthening of TVET and
employment for young women and men.”
The TVET institutions that presented findings from their research work included The Eldoret National
Polytechnic, Kenya Coast National Polytechnic, Kenya Technical Trainers College, North Eastern
National Polytechnic, Coast Institute of Technology, Ol’Lessos Technical Training Institute, The Meru
National Polytechnic, The Nyandarua National Polytechnic, The Sigalagala National Polytechnic,
Ekerubo Gietai Technical Training, The Nyeri National Polytechnic, Kisii National Polytechnic, The
Kabete National Polytechnic, and Rift Valley Technical Training Institute.
