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KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Dr. Agnes Mercy Wahome addresses students during a career guidance open day at Turkana University College in Lodwar on May 29, 2023. /COURTESY

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Placement agency urges youth to take up technical courses as application deadline looms

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 6 – The first phase of university and college applications ends tomorrow amid calls to Kenyan youth who did not qualify for degree courses to take up technical and vocational training opportunities.

An analysis of the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results indicates that 19.9% (173,127) of the of the 869,782 candidates scored C+ and above, which is the minimum entry grade for degree programmes.

The remaining 696,655 (80.1%) scored grades between C and E, and the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) is urging them to take advantage of the availability of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) opportunities.

 This will not only provide a pathway to higher education for the thousands of youths but also reduce wastage, according to the KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Dr. Agnes Mercy Wahome.

In Turkana County, for instance, there were 7,889 candidates who sat the 2022 KCSE examination, of whom only 13% scored C+ and above. The rest (87%) got grades ranging from C to E, according to the KUCCPS CEO.

“There are TVET Institutions in Lodwar that the students who scored D- and E can enrol for certificate and artisan courses. They can later pursue diploma courses at Turkana University College,” she said on May 29 during an open day at Turkana University College.  

She expressed concern that some Form Four leavers in could who had attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ had resorted to fishing in Lake Turkana instead of pursuing higher education.

Noting that every student stood a chance to further their studies in spite of their grade, she urged teachers to contact their former students and mobilise them to apply for courses through the KUCCPS portal.

“Kindly tell them, regardless of what they got, they can come and start over. Let them come and apply for the certificate, the diploma and even for the degree courses of their choice,” she told teachers at the forum.

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The CEO encouraged the youth to take up opportunities offered at the National Polytechnics, and public technical and vocational institutions, which have listed their artisan, craft and diploma courses on the KUCCPS portal. They include new entrants such as the Kengen Geothermal Training Centre, whose courses provide skills  for the energy sector, and the Morendat Institute of Oil and Gas, which has listed TVET courses in engineering, environmental science, laboratory science and telecommunication, among others.

In addition, the government has pledged to create employment opportunities for TVET graduates by investing in five priority sectors of agriculture, micro, small and medium enterprises, housing, healthcare, the digital superhighway and creative economy.

Speaking when he launched the opening of the KUCCPS application portal on May 17, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu emphasised the focus on TVET.

“I wish to encourage all our youths, including those who attained the minimum university entry grade of C+, to consider taking up courses in our TVET colleges. There is a course for every KCSE grade in the more than 200 public TVET institutions,” the CS said, adding that the students would access government scholarships and loans under the new funding model.

“If we are to achieve our agenda for Agriculture, MSME Economy, Housing, Healthcare, the Digital Superhighway and Creative Economy, we must provide relevant skills to our youth,” he added.

KUCCPS was established to coordinate the placement of students to universities and colleges; disseminate information on the available programmes, their costs and the areas of study prioritised by the government; collect and retain data in relation to student placement; and develop career guidance programmes for the benefit of students.

KUCCPS places students to all levels  –  artisan, craft, diploma and degree. With any KCSE mean grade, a secondary school graduate can log into the portal and find a course that suits their grade. The portal is accessible via the KUCCPS website or through KUCCPS Students App available on the Google Playstore.

Starting with this year’s intake, the placement of students to universities and TVET institutions will be delinked from funding, meaning that students will apply for funding after the placement process is complete.

Applicants who require help or guidance in completing their applications may visit the KUCCPS offices in Nairobi or the Huduma Centres where KUCCPS has deployed officers and trained staff to offer guidance.

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