Vocational Education and Technical Skilling
Turning skills into careers
Rural girls and women are key agents of achieving transformational economic and
social change for sustainable development but limited access to the necessary
resources and opportunities are among the many challenges they face. This is further
aggravated by the various social determinants and limited civic engagement.
Empowering girls and women is key not only to the well-being of individuals, families
and communities but also to overall economic development.
Statistics indicate that out of 100 pupils who join primary one, only 62 complete
primary 5 and only 32 complete primary 7. In rural communities where girls and young
women fall out of the formal education system early in life, technical and vocational
education, soft and life skills provides opportunities for them to secure dignified and
fulfilling formal and informal work. YETU believes that these skills can foster youth
employment and contribute to unlocking young people’s potential.
Through the program, YETU is employing strategies to strengthen vocational
education, improve its quality and make it attractive and an alternative pathway to
employment for young people. The program also prepares young people for
employment and entrepreneurship through skills development, opening doors to
opportunities and providing necessary resources. This in turn contributes to young
people’s social, economic and civic participation.
The program builds the traditional technical and vocational skills which include;
agriculture, garment making, hair dressing, plumbing, electoral engineering, catering
and hotel management into better and marketable skills like agribusiness,
construction, manufacturing and information, technology and communications. This is
done through strategies like short certified courses, apprenticeship, accelerated
learning programs and soft / lifeskills training.

“When young people gain skills, they gain power—the
power to shape their future, support their families, and
strengthen their communities.”