Kenya Education for Employment

This program ended in 2023. It was funded by Global Affairs Canada.

The Kenya Education for Employment Program (KEFEP) was a seven-year $20-million program strengthening and supporting technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Kenya’s agriculture and energy sectors.

What we did:

We connected 11 Canadian colleges and institutes with 10 technical institutions Kenya to develop 17 new or enhanced competency-based programs that improve employment and economic opportunities for Kenyan youth. We also helped implement changes to the Kenyan TVET system that lead to increased employment and self-employment opportunities for young women and men, and – in particular – for vulnerable populations.

Because of our work, more Kenyan youth graduate from TVET institutions with the right skills to find employment in the agriculture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, energy and hospitality and tourism sectors, to create employment, or to proceed to continuing education.

Designing TVET to Meet Industry Need

By bringing together the Canadian and Kenya TVET institutions, the Kenya Ministry of Education, and key industry partners, KEFEP ensured that new programming was gender-sensitive, relevant to the workplace, and aligned with industry needs. The program also helped institutions build stronger relationships with industry and employers and provided training to improve their capacity to deliver courses that are gender-sensitive and environmentally conscious.

Because of our work, Institutional Advisory Councils (IAC) established through KEFEP now encourage ongoing collaboration between industry and polytechnics and underline the value of continued engagement to provide equitable opportunities to young women and men.