Kenya’s New Skills Policies in Plain English: What Five Ministry of Labour Documents Mean for VTCs and Counties

5 min read

Policy documents rarely get read outside Nairobi offices. They are long, written in government language, and they arrive with little explanation. But five recent Ministry of Labour documents speak directly to what happens inside a vocational training centre, and the VTCs that act on them early will be better placed when funding and partnerships follow.

Here they are in plain English, with what each one means for VTCs and counties.

At a glance

Document	Year	Its goal in one line
National Skills Development Policy	2023	A skilled workforce that is employable, productive, enterprising, innovative, adaptable and competitive
National Policy on Linking Industry to Education	2024	Stronger links between industry and education, training and research
National Policy Framework on Career Guidance	2023	Lifelong learning and employability through better access to quality career guidance
National Guidelines on Career Guidance	—	Practical guidance on delivering career education, counselling and information
National Strategy on Skills Development for Labour Mobility	2024	Linking skills development to the global labour market for safe, orderly and regular labour migration

1. The National Skills Development Policy (2023)

This is the umbrella. It applies to the national government and county governments, among others, and sets nine objectives, from stronger governance of skills development to a smoother school-to-work transition.

The parts that matter most for VTCs:

• Training that follows the labour market. The policy commits to aligning curricula with labour market needs, strengthening labour market information, and anticipating future skills.
• Trainers. It commits to ensuring trainers are adequate in number and capacity.
• Work-based learning. It promises to strengthen work-based learning to improve the transition from training to work.
• New occupations. One objective is skills for entry into non-traditional and new occupations.
• Counties. It names County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) as a chance to identify skills needs, and lists county bursary schemes among the ways skills development is funded.

What it means: a county that bases its VTC courses on local labour market evidence, and writes that into its CIDP, is doing exactly what the policy asks.

2. The National Policy on Linking Industry to Education (2024)

This policy is about partnerships. Its statements include putting industry representatives on the governing boards of institutions, strengthening the link between curricula and industry, strengthening work-based learning intermediaries, and linking micro and small enterprises with training institutions. It also promotes infrastructure sharing between industry and institutions.

What it means: VTC boards should include people from local industry. A VTC can also share equipment and space with businesses, for example a welding shop or a hotel kitchen, and treat local small enterprises as attachment and dual-training partners.

3. Career guidance: the Policy Framework (2023) and the Guidelines

The policy framework notes that career guidance in Kenya has been weak for decades, despite repeated recommendations since 1976. It sets out to strengthen governance and funding, embed career education in the curricula, build the capacity of career practitioners, and use ICT.

It applies to education and training institutions, employment services, workplaces and community settings. The National Guidelines then turn the policy into practice, covering career education, career counselling, career information, and links with industry for work-based learning.

What it means: every VTC should have a named person responsible for career guidance, not only for counselling when things go wrong. Career talks, industry visits, and simple information on where graduates find work all count.

4. The National Strategy on Skills Development for Labour Mobility (2024)

This strategy looks outward. It aims to link Kenyan skills development to the global labour market for safe, orderly and regular migration. Its six objectives include a coordination mechanism, skills mobility partnerships, ethical recruitment, safe pathways, marketing Kenya as a source of skilled workers, and demand-driven funding. It also notes gaps in pre-departure and returnee programmes, and the need for reskilling and upskilling.

What it means: for trades in demand abroad, such as hospitality, care, construction and driving, quality and recognised certification matter more than ever. A CDACC certificate backed by solid practical training is what makes a graduate competitive at home and abroad.

Five actions for VTCs and counties

1. Put industry on the board. Add at least one local employer to each VTC board of management.
2. Use labour market evidence. Track where graduates go and which trades local employers need, and use the evidence when planning courses and the CIDP.
3. Name a career guidance lead in every VTC, with a simple annual plan.
4. Build work-based learning partnerships with local businesses for attachment and dual training.
5. Invest in trainers. The skills policy names trainer capacity directly, so trainer upskilling should be in every county VTC budget.

The bottom line

These five documents point the same way: training linked to real jobs, closer partnership with industry, better guidance for trainees, and skills that travel. None of the actions they call for needs a large budget to start. They need a VTC manager and a county officer who have read the policies and decided to act.

Key takeaways

• The National Skills Development Policy (2023) applies to county governments and calls for training aligned with labour market needs.
• The Linking Industry to Education Policy (2024) calls for industry representation on institution boards and stronger work-based learning.
• The Career Guidance Policy Framework (2023) wants career education built into curricula and more capacity for career practitioners.
• The Labour Mobility Strategy (2024) links skills development to safe, orderly and regular migration.
• VTCs can act now: industry on boards, labour market evidence, a career guidance lead, work-based learning partners and trainer upskilling.

Sources: National Skills Development Policy (2023); National Policy on Linking Industry to Education (2024); National Policy Framework on Career Guidance (2023); National Guidelines on Career Guidance in Kenya; National Strategy on Skills Development for Labour Mobility (2024). Also read: Dual training in Kenya.

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