Director of Recognition of Prior Learning delivery unit Stanley Maindi (c) and chief principal of Eldoret National Polytechnic Charles Koech during the opening of an RPL centre at the college /MATHEWS NDANYI
Hundreds of youth in the jua kali sector are rushing to acquire Recognition of Prior Learning certificates to increase their chances of getting jobs.
The government has launched a centre at the Eldoret National Polytechnic (TENP) to coordinate the Recognition of Prior Learning, which targets more than 15 million artisans.
The centre will equip the artisans, most of whom are youth, with skills so they can get the RPL certification.
Recognition of Prior Learning delivery unit director Stanley Maindi said the government is implementing the RPL programme to ensure young people and artisans with skills get recognition certificates.
He said many youth in the informal sector are driving the economy through their skills, yet they are not formally recognised.
“Under the RPL programme, the certificates to be given out will assist the youth just like those issued by educational institutions,” Maindi said.
He said certified youths will benefit from government contracts in sectors like the affordable housing programme.
“The youth issued with RPL certificates will be able to seek jobs and use the same certificates to advance their education through TVET institutions,” Maindi said.
He said they had trained experts under RPL Practitioners Level 2 programme so they have the necessary capacity to identify and help in certifying the targeted youth.
Maindi said all TVET institutions will serve as certification centres for RPL.
He said the centre opened at Eldoret Polytechnic will be used to coordinate the RPL programme and help collect and store data for the programme.
Maindi said the programme is not discriminatory and covers all those with skills that are not recognised.
“This programme is meant to ensure easy access to certification for all those with skills, including the mama mboga, and age does not matter,” he said.
Maindi said assessment of youth on site will be done at Sh5,000, but the programme will be based on the level of certification.
He said they are also working with donors like the World Bank, which is financing part of the programme to assist in the certification of those interested.
Chief Principal Charles Koech said they are working closely with the jua kali sector to ensure many youth are certified.
TENP's Governing Council, in charge of infrastructure, chairman Obudho Omondi, urged Kenyans to utilise the newly opened RPL centre.
