Office of Career Services (OCS) – MAASAI MARA TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL COLLEGE

Welcome to the Office of Career services

Maasai Mara Technical & Vocational College is committed to producing holistic graduates who are prepared for the job market and ready to seize the available entrepreneurship opportunities both locally and internationally. According to the recent statistics, majority of the graduates from Kenya universities and colleges end up not being in any gainful employment thus resulting into high unemployment rate. Less than 10 per cent are absorbed in the job market. It’s against this background that the Ministry of Education through the State Department of Post Training and Skills Development launched the Office of Career Services (OCS) in 2019 to take care of students skills development, job placement, linking students with industry, academic advisory services, career testing and assessment, career fairs, venture capital fairs, counseling services, graduate tracking services, students exchange, apprenticeship services, alumni networking, mentorship services, internship and improving the students life in campus among other services. The goal is to increase graduates absorption in the market from the current less than 10 per cent to over 50 per cent and creating over 1000 start ups in the next five years (2018-2023).

Introduction

Global and national education authorities around the world through different approaches, are seeking innovative curriculum solutions to improve the quality and relevance of student learning and to enable the students to apply their learning to the challenges and opportunities they encounter. On the other side knowledge and education are considered among the major factors contributing to the reduction of poverty, sustainable development and economic growth. It is the curriculum that is increasingly viewed as the foundation of educational reforms that are aimed at achieving high quality learning outcomes.

Mrs. Patricia Ondari -Career Officer

Thus ,the curriculum represents a conscious and systematic selection of knowledge skills and values which shape the teaching and learning processes are organized by addressing questions related to what students should learn, why ,when and how. Now that the Government has embraced full implementation of CDACC-CBET Curriculum in Tertiary education starting from September 2023 ,this will reduce the number of school drop outs since more learners will be enrolled in all Tvet colleges across the country.

The Government, through the State Department of Technical Education has equipped all TVET institutions to a tune of almost 75%.This kind of facilitation propels effective learning to take place. This is because a learner in Level 1, can be enrolled for a course with only a birth certificate and finally be tested for a particular skill of competence and be awarded a certificate .Also skilled workers with only birth certificates can be allowed to sharpen their skills and be examined under _ Recognition of Prior Learning and be awarded certificates.

This kind of certification will enable the skilled worker to eventually join the corporate world and complete effectively. Also, The State Department for Labour and skills Development has been entrusted with the oversight of skills development across diverse sectors, in alignment with Executive Order No.1 of 2021, which advocates for industry _specific skills development and training.

Below is a table showing the Levels of Learning, their entry points and Examining body from Kenya National Qualification Authority

In the last two decades, investment in education in sub-saharan Africa has not translated into functional knowledge and skills that can transform individuals and economies in which they live(EFA Global Monitoring Reports, 2012).There have been consistent wastage rates reflected in that only 30%of the age cohort’s complete junior secondary education while only 12% complete the full secondary cycle (World Bank,2007).The African Economic outlook (2012) recognizes the pivotal importance of education and appropriate skills as the prevailing solution to mitigating unemployment among the youth. It calls for a review, and alignment of curriculum to prepare the youth for the job markets .This can be achieved by making provisions for a curriculum that intricately balances skills acquisition in academics, technical and vocational education. The fast growth of the global economy requires competitive youths with relevant work and life skills that match the growing economies. The recent Global economic downturn has further signaled an urgent need to deal with youth unemployment and inequality effectively (OECD,2012a).Reforms and training in tertiary education must be targeted towards providing broader curriculum areas based on skill centered approaches and appropriate knowledge from non-academic so (World Bank, 2014).Poor attitude by Kenyans towards Technical and Vocational Education and Training TVET ought to be a destination of choice for those who wish to acquire the skills required to move this country to the next level of economic development. As a matter of fact, evidence suggests that TVET education is as of equal value than a traditional university degree.

According to the government, TVET system has a significant role to play to effective implementation of numerous planned projects, within key development sectors of manufacturing, infrastructure, science, technology and innovation as highlighted in the Kenya vision 2030 blueprint.

The main objectives of the career office is to offer advisory report to the stakeholders on the following areas.

Structuring of the TVET training and curriculum within competence framework that identifies the knowledge, skills, values and attributes to be incorporated at each level e.g entrepreneurial skills.
Addressing locals needs by including the study of local needs by including the study of local knowledge and culture.
To find what type of skills do the micro and small enterprises in general require.
Determine the talent identification and nurturing strategies to be adopted by TVET.
Identify resources suitable for TVET level competency based curriculum.
To find out from the perspective of key stakeholders, how relevant are the skills and knowledge of TVET graduates to the job markets.

Our college is therefore committed to be fully compliant with the government policy of BETA (Bottom Up Economic and Transformation Agenda), vision 2030 and African Union Agenda 2063 and sustainable Development Goals (SDG’S).The office of career services (OCS) MMTVC plays a key role in the transition of trainees from learning to earning, by exposing the trainees to relevant and sustainable platforms to effectively compete in the job market, this is effectively done through the use of the graduate tracker services. Also the trainees also are given relevant career counselling that enables them to choose courses whose skills align with

the job market, they are even counselled on how to earn as they learn in order to effectively polish and enhance their skills. Therefore our institution plays a key role in trainee’s career choices since employability skills mismatch has rendered many graduates from Tvet institutions unemployed. Our institution has organized career outreach programmed to help trainees in job opportunities and placements in a form of Career forums. This industrial linkages provide an opportunity to identify current industrial trends and align them with career choices and opportunities of the trainees.

Objectives of the Career Office

i) To understand the need of the student and to match these needs with the labour market patterns.
ii) To research on the current employment trends and what the employers demand and advise the students accordingly.
iii) To advise students on academic performance.
iv) To equip students with knowledge, skills and attitudes that are necessary for a life during and after university.
v) To offer career guidance and counselling on relationships, career choices and choice of institutions.
vi) To oversee the transition of the students from the college to the job market in terms of internships, part-time employment, volunteering and full time employment in both the public and private sector.
vii) To deal with the emotional and social wellbeing of the students.
viii) To offer capacity building in terms of career counselling, career fairs, career forums and workshops.
ix) To disseminate information about job networks and linkages.

Functions of Career Office

i. Academic Advising: help students to come up with educational plans consistent with their life goal; provide them with accurate information about academic progression and requirements; assist them to understand academic polices; increase student retention by providing a personal contact that students always need and connect them to institutions.
ii. Career Services: the office should be committed to offer career counselling and advising; career testing and assessment; linkages; career fairs and forums and create a database of jobs available by developing networks with local employers.
iii. Graduate Tracker Services: put in place procedure for assessing students’ achievements and their progression after graduation into the workforce.
iv. Linkages between industries and students.
v. Financial Aid Services (Scholarships, Bursaries and Grants)
vi. Establishment of alumni network.
vii. Recruiting OCS student ambassadors.
viii. Running career fairs and forums.

Activities

Skills Development Programs such as Ajira Digital Training
Linking students to the industry for jobs, internships and Industrial Visits
Career Guidance and Counselling
Career Fairs and Exhibitions
Career Testing and Assessment
High school Career Talks
Student Exchange Programs
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Alumni engagement, networking and outreach

In order to achieve effective service delivery, the office of career services in liaison with the ILO office together with the guidance and counselling office have made available the following platforms in our college website and also in our front office services for student’s interaction.

Counseling services
Students industrial linkages
Apprenticeship
Career fairs
Recruitments
Venture Capitals
Graduate tracker services

It is our sincere hope that all trainees and aspiring trainees will find this office meaningful as they pursue their different careers/courses at Maasai mara TVC.