Effectiveness of youth polytechnics in training the youth for employment in Machakos District, Kenya

Abstract

Youth Polytechnics play an important role in training school leavers who do not proceed with higher education. They are trained in relevant skills for either salary or self-employment. This study was set out to investigate the effectiveness of selected Youth Polytechnics in Machakos District in training the youth for employment. The study examined curriculum relevance and its implementation in the Youth Polytechnics to meet the needs of the trainees, the competence of the instructors, adequacy of teaching and learning resources and the methods used to evaluate the Youth Polytechnics’ training programme. The study adopted survey research design. Questionnaires were administered to the trainees and instructors while interview schedules were administered to the managers and the employers. Observation checklist and document analysis were also used. The study adopted Kirk Patrick’s four levels evaluation model (1994). Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program. The study showed that Youth Polytechnics’ curriculum was irrelevant to the needs of the trainees in the labour market. Some needs of the trainees like the teaching of information and communication technology and entrepreneurial skills were not addressed. Additionally, teaching and learning resources in Youth Polytechnics were inadequate. The study concluded that to a great extent, Youth Polytechnics were not effective in training the youth for employment. The curriculum should therefore be reviewed occasionally to keep their current and future graduates as well as instructors abreast with technological changes in the whole Technical and Vocational Education and Training sub-sector to avoid obsoleteness. Finally, the study recommended that there was need for increased funding towards vocational education and training which should be directed towards research and development as well as acquisition of appropriate teaching and learning resources for effective training.