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The German government has announced plans to set up 160 new technical training centers across Kenya in an effort to bridge the country’s skills gap.

“The country is on a path of developing its manufacturing sector and the only way to do that is to have technical skills required in spurring industrial growth. We are setting up 160 new TVET centers across Kenya that will be constructed at a tune of EURO 150 million.

These centers will be fully equipped to train the youth on welding, renewable and e-mobility and they will spread across Western, Coastal and North Eastern parts of the country,” says Sebastian Groth, German Ambassador in Kenya.

The envoy was speaking during the launch of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in Advanced Welding. This program is supported by the German Development Cooperation and European Union & implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), through the Digital Transformation Center and Make I.T. Alliance.

The VR technology is an innovation of the Polish company, DigInVision, a member of Make I.T. Alliance.

The Toolkit iSkills (TTI) is a digitally innovative social enterprise in Africa that focuses on training youth in life and employability skills, technical skills, and Digital skills training.

TTI transforms youth through skills training in Construction, Renewable Energy, Digital Skills, Organic Farming, and Linkage to jobs/entrepreneurship.

TTI provides relevant solutions for the challenges brought about by the drastic growth of the youth population in Africa, the unemployment crisis, and an increase in the number of vulnerable youths.

This year the firm noted that it has invested time, thought and deed to skilling youth for decent green jobs. 

“We have designed innovative mobile solar training units based on the expertise of our in-house team and industry experts.

We broke down complex solar energy learning into easy-to-learn and easy-to-demonstrate and easy-to-practice,” noted.

We did this report to provide evidence of the work of the Toolkit Iskill, to map solar companies in Kenya that gave us all the skill set that they are looking for in the Youth.” Ms. Jane Muigai Kamphuis, Director and Founder, Toolkit Iskills (TTI).

The firm mainly trains the youth drawn from the less fortunate and refugee camps across the EAC region.

The training of refugees in Kakuma and Daadab refugee camps in solar has been a success because of support by the Government, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, humanitarian agencies and solar micro enterprises operating in the camp. 

The firm has further called for the strengthening of training industry linkage so that the mismatch is reduced significantly by ensuring that TVET graduates come out with skills that are employable, effective, relevant and applicable to the job market.

Toolkit introduced the VR technology in Kenya and East Africa in 2021 and since then, has skilled 33 instructors and assessors and over 100 youth welders. 

The advanced welding skills imparted through VR technology are highly in demand in Kenya and globally.

TTI has linked youth welders to decent-paying jobs in different companies across the country, in East Africa and even in Europe. The VR technology was developed in Poland by DiginVision. TTI has managed to showcase the VR technology to training institutions, government institutions and the private sector players.

The VR precedent-setting technology has lowered the cost of training, eliminated safety hazards, and reduced the time taken to train as a welder.

Toolkit has observed that once training is done using VR and then trainees later transition to the actual practice, they find it easier to master their craft. Toolkit has rolled out the technology in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

The technology applies to informal sector welders – youth that learnt informally can now get upgraded and their experience assessed and certified under the Recognition of Prior Learning. Such welders will gain advanced skills through the technology, leading to better jobs.

This year, Toolkit kicked off a new program to skill 300 youth welders in Kenya, thanks to support from GIZ.

The training program involves 80 percent Virtual Reality Welding training and 20% training in an actual welding workshop. The VR simulator fully recreates a welding workshop in virtual reality, so both beginners and advanced trainees are guaranteed a real welding experience.

TTI displayed a Skills Bazaar showing its innovative training technologies and models other thematic pillars including organic farming, solar energy skills, entrepreneurship, digital skills, and construction sector skills.