Double Luck: VTCs to get capitation, receive Tools to Work

All students who are enrolled in Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) in Trans Nzoia County will be entitled to Kes 18,000 each annually as capitation to support running of the institutions, County secretary Truphosa Amere has confirmed.

Speaking at the Kitale Vocational Training Centre where she received a donation of 257 sewing and knitting machines worth over Kes 30 million from Tools to Work, a dutch charity organization on Thursday, Ms Amere disclosed that the County Assembly has already approved the plan.

Ms Amere pointed out that the capitation is aimed at enhancing the dissemination of technical skills in the VTCs as well as ensuring high enrolment of students to acquire skilled knowledge that can be applied for entrepreneurship.

Noting that such skills would support in job creations, the County Secretary encouraged students in all VTCs to take serious the acquisition of skilled knowledge citing that it promotes self employment in a time when job opportunities are scarce.

She added that bursaries would still be given out to the VTC students even as she disclosed that 30 percent of the total amount allocated for bursaries would be channelled to support students in the centres.

Education CECM Capt. Stanley Kirui reiterated H.E. Governor George Natembeya’s commitment to supporting knowledge transfer by providing a conducive environment for the learners to acquire technical knowledge.

Capt. Kirui disclosed of plans to recruit 56 additional instructors to the technical institutions as a way of boosting the centres human capital in a bid to ensure quality education by filling the gaps of artisans and other technical staff.

He further disclosed of plans to utilise the VTCs to produce school uniforms for ECDE pupils across the county as well as for county staffs adding that it had been not only tedious but also expensive to procure them from outside the county.

Tools to Work Director Mr. Peek pledged that the charity organization will deliver a container of the requisite technical tools to Trans Nzoia County every year for five years, an aid that was well received by the county administration, teaching fraternity and students.

The function was also attended by Boniface Cheloti County assembly of chairman on education, Tuwan MCA Francis Were and Joshua Amwai who is also the vice chairperson of the Education committee in the County Assembly, Director of VTCs Eliud Lusweti and his ECDE counterpart Peter Omonya among others.

Trans Nzoia county has 32 VTCs with over 3,000 enrolled students.