The new Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (KCATS) policy has been touted as a game changer in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
State Department for TVET Principal Secretary Dr. Esther Mworia says the policy will significantly benefit employers and industries by ensuring that qualifications awarded by learning institutions are standardized and meet high-quality standards. According to Dr. Mworia , KCATS offers a platform for employers to collaborate with educational institutions, allowing them to influence curriculum development to better meet industry needs. The system, she noted, systematically validates, recognizes, and transfers prior learning achievements or accumulated credits towards a qualification, supporting lifelong learning.
The Principal Secretary who presided over the graduation of 3,800 students from Rift Valley National Polytechnic (RVNP) in Nakuru County, explained that the Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer policy framework brings much-needed clarity to Kenya’s increasingly diverse qualifications ecosystem. “In line with regional and continental education harmonization efforts, such as UNESCO’s Addis Convention on the recognition of degrees and certificates (2014), the Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) system is a critical tool for quantifying and validating qualifications. It ensures that Kenyan qualifications are internationally comparable and compatible, enhancing the global recognition of Kenyan degrees,” she elaborated.
Dr. Mworia observed that the system promotes academic mobility, allowing students to transfer credits between institutions, ultimately reducing the time and cost required to complete a degree. “The KCATS policy, developed by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) in collaboration with stakeholders in the education, training, and labor sectors, is expected to catalyze seamless mobility and inspire a new era of holistic education and training in Kenya. This is a systematic way of validating, recognizing and transferring prior learning achievements or accumulated credits towards attainment of a qualification and Lifelong learning,” said the Principal Secretary.