Kenya has completed the recognition of prior learning policy following a successful pilot setting the stage for the nationwide rollout of the certification targeting carpenters, cooks, drivers, masons, painters, plumbers and welders who acquired their skills and competencies informally.
The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) Chief Executive Officer Alice Kande says the government is putting the final touches on the comprehensive policy that will guide the certification of individuals who have acquired various skills and competencies informally.
She said the Ministry of Education had allowed the rollout of the policy in two months’ time.
The certification follows assessment against prescribed industry standards and learning outcomes.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO), which has been working closely with the government in developing the policy says the certification allows skilled individuals to access decent work as well as pursue the formal academic path.
“We have established the critical success factors in the recognition of prior learning. These are the regulatory framework, institutional framework, quality assurance, stakeholder involvement and sustainable financing,” Dr Kande told reporters on the sidelines of a workshop with the heads of polytechnics and technical institutes on the costing of the Juakali certification at a Machakos hotel on Monday.
The head of ILO in the country Caroline Njuke and Vocational and Technical Training Principal Secretary Esther Muoria addressed the workshop.
Dr Muoria said the government was committed to creating a skills and competencies database by formalising the available skills and competencies and matching them with the labour market.
