The collaboration between industry and academia can cultivate a mutual relationship that produces well-rounded graduates with the skills required for successful careers in the ever-evolving job landscape.
This collaboration is crucial for developing curricula that effectively align with the dynamic and evolving needs of the labour market.
Both parties can bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, ensuring graduates are well-prepared for the labour market challenges.
Read: How to fill skills gap in the Kenyan job market
Industry input can provide valuable insights into emerging trends, technological advancements, and skill requirements, enabling educators to tailor curricula to equip students with relevant and up-to-date expertise.
As the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), it is for these reasons that we are working closely with the industry to address the paradox of skills mismatch in the country.
This is because the government is keen to address the gap by developing and implementing a robust Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) system to ensure that skills and competencies relevant to the industry needs are recognised and certified.
The Education ministry, through KNQA and other partners, has embarked on a review of the RPL framework to align it to the Bottom-up Economic Transformation agenda.
The Presidential Working Party on Education Reform report recommends implementing RPL policy and Credit Accumulation and Transfer Systems in Kenya.
The report also emphasises the need for more awareness creation of the two systems.
This will lead to a framework for linkages among technical and vocational education and training institutions (TVETs) to remove duplications and create centres of excellence based on niche.
The KNQA is determined to maintain standards, quality, and relevance at all levels of Kenya’s education and training sector.
The authority has established and maintains the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF), which provides a system for the articulation, classification, registration, quality assurance, and monitoring and evaluation of national qualifications developed under the KNQF Act.
The framework ensures a seamless transition of TVET learners to labour markets or industry and provides for vertical and horizontal mobility of learners to facilitate access and progression within education and training.
The authority also ensures that fake credentials do not infiltrate the labour market.
With strong collaborations, the industry can provide real-world insights, expertise, and resources to enrich student’s learning experiences, ensuring their skills align with current market demands.
Among its key functions, the Authority significantly coordinates the development of policies on national qualifications.
The Authority is currently developing a policy on National Curriculum Development that will address the inconsistencies in the curriculum development process and implementation in Kenya, leading to uniformity in the development of curricula and training programs/courses by various actors resulting in nationally, regionally, and internationally recognized qualifications.
This policy will be applied to effectively coordinate and harmonize the national curriculum development approach to produce quality skilled human resources with the right attitude and values required in the emerging trends in the industry and for the growth and prosperity of the various sectors of the economy.
With strong collaborations, the industry can provide real-world insights, expertise, and resources to enrich student’s learning experiences, ensuring their skills align with current market demands. In tandem with this, academia can contribute by tailoring curricula to meet industry needs, integrating theoretical knowledge with hands-on training.
The KNQF is ensuring standardization of qualifications and creating harmony within the training sector that will see to it that such inconsistencies in curriculum development and implementation in Kenya are addressed and the linkage between relevant stakeholders in curriculum development is strengthened to address the issue of skill mismatch.
Resistance to Change: Collaborating with TVET institutions and the industry typically involves introducing new practices, technologies, standards and guidelines.
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However, resistance to change can pose a significant challenge. Stakeholders may be reluctant to adopt new approaches, which can impede the progress of collaborative initiatives in the education and training sector. BY BUSINESS DAILY