• Life skills promoters’ executive director Emma Wacira asked women in Kilifi to embrace more on talented skills courses.
• She said 51 per cent of the youth who have enrolled in VTIs in the county are women.
Enrolment in vocational training institutes in Kilifi has risen from 1,700 to 7,500 since devolution started, Education executive Caroline Chonga has said.
She said many youths used to shun the vocational institutes due to myths that they are meant for academic failures.
"It was not easy to change the perception. We had to do vigorous campaign to change the mindsets of our youth. We also had awareness forums and introduced youth-friendly courses," Chonga said.
She was speaking at Karisa Maitha grounds in Kilifi town during the graduation of more than 400 students from Sokoni Vocational Training Institute in Kilifi North and Mwabayanyundo Vocational Training Institute in Kaloleni constituency.
Chonga said the county government has built and equipped all VTIs in the county. Kilifi has 41 vocational training institutes.
"As a county, we have made tremendous milestones in revamping our vocational training institutes. Our VTIs are well-equipped and we have linked the students to companies for attachment and employment," she said.
Life skills promoters’ executive director Emma Wacira asked women in Kilifi to embrace more on talented skills courses.
"Our aim is to empower youth through short courses and market linkages so they can nurture their talent and earn from it," Wacira said.
She said 51 per cent of the youth who have enrolled in VTIs in the county are women.
Wacira said they train them in different technical subjects, including fashion design, dressmaking, beauty therapy, plumbing, automobile and mobile repair.
"As you know nowadays, the world has become a global village, and you must cope with the changing situation, everybody has a mobile phone, and phones are damaged so they require technicians," she said.
She said they focus mainly on the passion of the students and train them in the field.