Kigumo MP sets aside Sh8m to lure students to join Tvet college

Kigumo MP Joseph Munyoro has pledged to sponsor the first batch of students who will enrol at the newly opened Kigumo Technical and Vocational Education and Training College.

The MP has set aside Sh8 million from the NG-CDF kitty for the programme aimed at encouraging local youths to enrol in the institution.

So far, the college has enrolled about 360 students and is targeting 500 with courses such as electrical and electronics engineering, plumbing technology, cosmetology and fashion and design being offered.

Others include information and communication technology (ICT), building technology and civil engineering, masonry, carpentry, welding and fabrication, and driving.

The MP who spoke during the official opening of the college on Friday, said the sponsorship will help youths to acquire training that will give them a source of livelihood.

“Our main aim is to empower the community and give youths hope that they can use the courses available to change the course of their future,” he said.

He underscored the need for youths to embrace technical courses that he said eliminate the need for them to seek employment.

Technical jobs, he noted, are in high demand and make a lot of money for those in them as millions of other youths wait for white collar jobs.

“Youths should know that the most important thing is to earn a living and right now, getting a mason or electrician is not easy as they are not many and the demand is high.”

“You don’t even have to work in your area. Once you get your certificate, you can start working anywhere you want but you have to acquire training first,” he added.

The lawmaker hailed the college as a game-changer for the local economy as it will not only provide training for youths but will also create avenues to make money.

The college that is located near Mariira shopping centre is yet to construct hostels. Locals have been urged to take advantage of that opportunity to provide accommodation for both students and staffers.

Local farmers will also get a market for their produce which will boost their earnings.

“It is a good thing and it will grow us economically, socially and improve the welfare of Kigumo people,” the MP said.

The Sh60 million college has been constructed by the national government in partnership with NG-CDF and is on a five-acre land.

The MP said he is in consultation with the college’s principal to source for a bus that will be ferrying students to the facility to reduce their transportation costs.

Once the bus is acquired, students will only need to wait for the bus on the roads and will be picked for the school.

Agnes Ngugi, a parent from Gakuyu village, said her son completed his secondary education but she had no money to enrol him in a college.

“When I heard there would be sponsorships here, I jumped at the opportunity. My son has said he will take plumbing. I am happy and I hope more students will benefit,” she said after registering her son.

Principal Jennifer Wambui lauded the MP for his efforts to promote education saying he had undertaken a rigorous awareness campaign to ensure locals knew about the new college.

The college has been marked as a centre of excellence for building and civil engineering, and fashion and design, and is waiting for the government to provide equipment such as blocks, cabros and tiles making machines that she said are being imported.

The institution however has training materials that will be used for learning until the equipment is available.

“We want to believe that even in other parts of the country, our children have heard us and have changed their perception on technical jobs because even in our enrolments, we have less than 10 students who have registered for white collar jobs such as social works and human resource.”

 

 

-Edited by SKanyara