Humber College's International Development Institute (IDI) was recently selected as the lead institution for a new initiative through Young Africa Works-Kenya: Youth Employability through TVET (Young Africa Works in Kenya-TVET), a partnership between College and Institutes Canada (CICan) and the Mastercard Foundation. The project will help equip Kenyan youth with knowledge, skills and training to compete in the global workforce. 

The country’s Ministry of Education is shifting from TVET, or Technical and Vocational Education Training, which is teacher-centred, to the CBET, or competency-based education and training approach. Institutions like Humber College use their expertise to enhance training and create pathways to employment for Kenyan youth. Humber and its partnering institutions provide technical support through subject matter experts as Kenyan learning institutions develop and implement CBET policies. 

The IDI has been working on related programs in Kenya since 2017. The project Humber was recently tapped to lead is under the Young Africa Works umbrella, supported by Vancouver Island University and will allow the IDI to reach more Kenyan students. Humber will work with the Kenyan institutions involved to implement a competency-based approach to teaching and learning. 

"We are excited to continue our work and scale to new regions in Kenya," said Nalini Andrade, manager of the IDI. 

"Humber's involvement with Young Africa Works demonstrates our commitment to deliver innovative and equitable capacity-building to transform and contribute to the growing Technical and Vocational Education and Training sector in the region." 

The Young Africa Works program aims to help students gain employment in food security, affordable housing, manufacturing, affordable healthcare and digital sectors. 

“The project has come at the opportune time when the TVET institutions in Kenya are rolling out the CBET courses. It will equip the youths in the Kenyan TVET institutions with industry-responsive skills that assure them marketability on the job market,” said Evans Bosire, the principal of  Sigalagala National Polytechnic. 

The college was also named as a supporting institution for two additional projects under Young Africa Works in Kenya program, supporting even more learners and programs. Learn more about Humber’s International Development Institute here.