Turkana County is overhauling its vocational training system to ensure young people acquire skills that match real economic opportunities, rather than graduating with qualifications disconnected from the local labour market.
The county government says its eight vocational institutions must now align courses with sectors such as fishing, livestock, green energy, minerals and extractive industries.
The strategy is designed to turn technical training into a direct pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and wealth creation, while helping the county address persistent poverty and youth unemployment through skills tailored to its own economic potential.
County Orders Vocational Institutions to Follow Local Economic Opportunities
Deputy Governor Dr John Erus said vocational institutions must stop producing graduates for jobs that may not exist and instead train young people for sectors capable of generating income within Turkana.
Speaking during a two-day forum on implementation of the County Vocational Training Strategic Plan in Kakuma, Erus said research had identified fishing, livestock, green energy, minerals and extractive industries as major opportunities capable of transforming the county's economy.
He warned that institutions that continue offering generic courses without considering local economic realities risk becoming irrelevant to both employers and young people seeking to establish businesses.
Erus pointed to communities around Lake Turkana as an immediate example of how training could be redesigned around local value chains.
He said areas between Todonyang and Mugur could generate hundreds of millions of shillings from fishing if the sector was properly developed.
As a result, he said vocational institutions in Kalokol and Kataboi should consider programmes in areas such as:
- Boat construction and maintenance
- Fishing equipment repair
- Cold-chain handling
- Fisheries-related technical skills
- Other services supporting the fishing value chain
The approach would allow graduates to enter the economy not only as employees but also as entrepreneurs providing services to growing industries.
Strategic Plan Targets Skills Gaps in Turkana's Labour Market
Dr Lawrence Odollo, an educationist and International Labour Organisation consultant involved in developing the strategic plan, said the success of the new approach would depend heavily on proper investment in vocational institutions.
He said colleges require adequate trainers, equipment and resources to deliver skills that correspond with the needs of local industries.
Odollo also proposed organising local communities into cooperatives linked to identified economic value chains.
Such cooperatives, he said, could create opportunities for graduates to work together, establish enterprises and secure jobs after completing their training.
He described the strategy as an attempt to make vocational education more responsive to changing labour-market demands.
Carolyne Njuki, an ILO technical adviser, cited Turkana's experience with the Lodwar Fresh Produce Market as evidence that demand-driven training can directly create employment.
When the market was being constructed, there was a shortage of artisans skilled in cobblestone paving. The ILO and county government responded by training, examining and certifying artisans before connecting them with available work.
The organisation says it will continue providing labour-market data to help Turkana adjust its training programmes as economic opportunities evolve.
Eight Institutions to Become Economic Skills Centres
Turkana currently manages eight vocational institutions serving more than 2,400 young people.
The institutions are located in Lodwar, Kalokol, Kataboi, Lorgum, Lokichar, Lokori and Lokichoggio, with some locations operating more than one learning or examination centre.
Stephen Eregae said the county intends to transform each institution into an independent learning and examination centre aligned with the dominant economic activities in its surrounding area.
This means training programmes could increasingly differ from one institution to another depending on the economic opportunities available locally.
For example, institutions serving fishing communities could prioritise fisheries-related technical skills, while those located near livestock, mining, energy or extractive activities could develop programmes supporting those industries.
The county believes this model will make vocational education more practical while reducing the gap between classroom training and employment.
The strategy also places greater emphasis on entrepreneurship, meaning graduates will not necessarily have to wait for formal employment before putting their skills to use.
Turkana's approach reflects a broader shift in technical and vocational education, where training institutions are increasingly expected to respond directly to labour-market demand.
If adequately funded and implemented, the county says the strategy could turn vocational institutions into engines of local economic development, helping young people acquire skills that are immediately useful while strengthening the industries with the greatest potential to transform Turkana's economy.
