Industrial Attachment for TVET Trainees in Kenya: The Logbook, Portfolio of Evidence and Mentoring Tool Explained

7 min read

Industrial attachment (many guides now call it “industry training”) is not a break from college. In the CDACC Cycle 3 courses it is a unit of learning in its own right, and your mentor’s ratings produce a mark that goes to TVET CDACC. This guide is for trainees getting ready to go out, and for trainers and Industrial Liaison Officers (ILOs). It covers the hours, finding a placement, the logbook, the portfolio of evidence and the CDACC mentoring tool.

How many hours? It depends on your course

In the course tables, Level 3 courses ask for 240 hours (24 credits) and the Level 4 courses here ask for 320 hours (32 credits).

Course	Attachment hours (course table)	Where the mentor expects you to spend most of your time
Plumbing Level 3	240	Water supply, sanitary appliances and drainage
Welding Level 3	240	Sheet metal or bench work, arc welding and gas work
Electrical Installation Level 3	240	Electrical installation work
Motor Vehicle Mechanics Level 3	240	Petrol engine and braking system work
Masonry Level 3	240	The three masonry units
Cosmetology Level 3	240	Braiding, barbering, and manicure and pedicure
Electrical Installation Level 4	320	Electrical installation work
Motor Vehicle Mechanics Level 4	320	Petrol engine, brakes, diesel engine, suspension and steering
ICT Operator Level 4	320	Tasks matching all four units

Two cautions. Some curriculum pages print a different figure from the course table (one Masonry placement note gives a higher minimum, for example), so confirm the exact hours and dates with your ILO before you look for a place. Second, the hours are only part of the rule. The mentoring tool expects a mentoring period of at least three months, and at least two thirds of your time on the work of your units. In Motor Vehicle Mechanics Level 4, 320 hours at 40 hours a week is only eight weeks, so plan about 13 weeks.

If you are doing the full qualification you normally go out after finishing all the units. On a part qualification the hours are shared equally across the units you take. Dual training institutions follow the dual training policy.

Finding and preparing for a placement

Many institutions expect you to find a place, which the ILO then approves. The Plumbing guide advises starting at least two months early, because good placements fill quickly. Choose a workplace that does all the areas you will be rated on. A salon that only braids cannot give you barbering evidence. If one place cannot cover everything, plan two placements and record each one.

• Your pack: an introduction letter from your institution, a short application letter, a one-page CV, and copies of your national ID and college ID. The Motor Vehicle Mechanics Level 4 guide also suggests a copy of your Level 3 certificate.
• Once accepted, give the ILO the acceptance letter and your mentor’s contacts, and ask about insurance cover. The Motor Vehicle Mechanics Level 4 guide says plainly: never start work in a garage without it.
• Never pay anyone to “get you” a placement. Report such requests to your ILO.

What a daily logbook entry should contain

Assessors say: “If it is not recorded, it did not happen.” Write your logbook every evening, while details are fresh. Each daily entry should give:

1. The date, the site or section, and your time in, time out and hours.
2. The task, described so that a stranger could follow it: sizes, materials and method.
3. The tools and materials used.
4. The unit and element the task belongs to.
5. What you learned, and any problem and how it was solved.
6. Your supervisor’s initials.

“Repaired computers” is weak; “Found a loose 24-pin connector, reseated it, tested the power supply voltages and confirmed it booted” is evidence. Each week, add a short summary or reflection and ask your supervisor for a comment, signature and company stamp. Note every change of section or site with the dates and the mentor’s name, because the mentoring tool has a form for time spent in each section.

Building your portfolio of evidence

The portfolio of evidence (PoE) is the bigger file that holds your logbook, the completed mentoring tool and all supporting proof. Useful items include:

• photos of finished work and of you working safely, taken with permission;
• sketches of layouts, test records, job cards and material lists;
• checklists and third-party reports signed by your trainer or supervisor;
• a short reflection.

Organise it with a cover page, a contents page and dividers for each unit. Number every item, date it and label it with the performance criterion it proves. For photos, ask your supervisor first and the customer when you are in their home; avoid faces, house numbers, gates and valuables, and never post them online.

How the mentor uses the CDACC mentoring tool

The mentoring tool has a section for each unit plus a section on worker behaviour. Each section lists knowledge items and skill items. For every item:

1. NA (not applicable) is marked if that work does not happen at your workplace.
2. You fill in your self-assessment, “met” or “needs to improve” (NI), with the date.
3. The mentor watches you, asks oral questions and records met or NI with initials and date.
4. For every NI, you and the mentor agree an action plan.
5. The evidence is noted: observation, oral answers, photos, a product or a test record.

The mentor assesses you three times: in month one (starting level), month two (progress) and month three. Only the final assessment counts, so use the first two to find and fix weak areas. To be competent in a unit you need a minimum number of items met and every critical (key) item met, whatever your total. Minimums differ by trade: in the guides that list them, Plumbing, Electrical Installation and Motor Vehicle Mechanics need about half the items, Cosmetology needs five of ten, while Welding Level 3 sets much higher counts. Worker behaviour, 17 items in these guides, needs 75%, which is 13 items.

Each unit mark is items met ÷ items for that unit × 100, and your final attachment mark is the average of the unit marks. In the Plumbing guide’s example, 19 of 23, 17 of 23 and 15 of 18 give 82.6%, 73.9% and 83.3%, an average of 79.9%. Ask your ILO how NA items are counted.

The Industrial Liaison Officer’s role

The ILO links you, your mentor and your institution. The ILO briefs trainees and mentors on their roles, coordinates the attachment and visits, collects the completed mentoring tool, puts it in your portfolio and uploads your final mark to the CDACC portal. Report any unsafe instruction to your ILO.

Conduct, safety and confidentiality

Employers expect you to be safe, honest, willing and on time, not fast. Return tools and report damage at once. Keep company prices, drawings and client details private; ICT trainees will see files, emails and passwords and must never copy or share them, in keeping with the Data Protection Act, 2019.

Follow the site induction and your trade’s safety rules. Plumbing trainees never enter septic tanks, soak pits or sewers. Electrical trainees never work on anything live, use safe isolation every time and leave Kenya Power equipment alone. Motor vehicle trainees never work under a vehicle held only by a jack. ICT trainees ask before deleting files or changing settings on a shared computer.

Common mistakes

• Marking every self-assessment item “met” on day one. Honest ratings earn trust.
• Filling a month of logbook the night before the ILO visit.
• Forgetting the mentor’s initials and date after each review, or leaving NI items with no action plan.
• Spending the whole placement on one type of work and having no evidence for the other units.

Key points

• Level 3 courses here need 240 hours and the Level 4 courses 320; confirm your exact figure with your ILO.
• Plan for at least three months, with two thirds of your time on your units’ work.
• Write the logbook daily and get it signed weekly.
• Only the third mentor assessment counts; meet the minimum count and every critical item.

To revise the units your mentor will rate you on, use the free revision pages on the CDACC hub. Still deciding on a course? Read how to choose a trade.

This is independent guidance. It is not published or endorsed by TVET CDACC, TVETA or the Ministry of Education.

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