Students joining technical institutes to get Sh500m

The government has set aside Ksh500 million for students selected to enroll in technical training institutes (TTIs) across the nation and a further Ksh15.8 bllion to be used in equipping the technical training institutes, Education CS Fred Matiang’i has said.

Speaking during the Africa Tech Challenge student award ceremony presided by Deputy President William Ruto on Tuesday, Mr Matiang’i said there are over 220,000 positions in TTIs that youth need to take advantage of.

“We will do what we need to do to support our TTIs. Our focus is to ensure we increase the number of students enrolling in TTIs,” Mr Matiang’i said.

Speaking at the function, Deputy President William Ruto said the government is building capacity in TTIs so that they can be better placed to equip Kenyans with the relevant technical skills.

The DP confirmed that the current TTIs in the country have capacity to manufacture operational machines and spare parts, some of which have already been exported to China.

“We made a decision that HELB will also have provision to have TTI students have access to loans,” he added.

Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) providing loans for the TTI students will increase the number of enrollment to the institution.

Ruto urged youths to enroll to the technical institutes saying: “The youth should not look down on these technical courses; most of them pay better than degree courses.”

The awards ceremony brought together Kenyan and Chinese Government officials, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) representatives and students from various TTIs who participated in the contest.

Three students were awarded full scholarships to study engineering courses in China by AVIC.

Report by Brian Khaniri