For generations, a university degree was seen as the only sure ticket to status, stability, and a professional career. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) often carried a stigma, a fallback for those who couldn’t cut. But in Nakuru County, a quiet revolution is underway. A growing number of high-achieving secondary school graduates are consciously choosing technical colleges over universities, driven by practicality, passion, and a changing job market.
This shift is not just a minor trend; it’s a fundamental rethinking of career paths, championed by students, supported by new policies, and hailed by educators as critical for Kenya’s economic future.
Meet Mercy Wairimu. After scoring an A- in the 2025 KCSE, she had the grades to pursue virtually any university course. Instead, she enrolled in the Electrical Technician diploma program at the Rift Valley Institute of Business Studies (RVIBS).
“This is a dream come true,” says Wairimu, the only woman in a class of 28. “I would dismantle, for example, an iron box, then separate the parts and reassemble it successfully.” Supported by her parents, she is breaking barriers in a field traditionally dominated by men. For her, the choice was clear: “There are ready jobs and guaranteed incomes for those with technical skills.”
She is not alone. Over 50 students at RVIBS alone, all qualified for university admission, have opted for diploma courses. Official data mirrors this, showing university enrolment dipping while intake at technical colleges has risen to 22%.
Why the Shift? Policy, Perception, and Practicality
Students and directors point to a confluence of factors driving this change:
1. Government Revival of TVETs: “The current administration has been reviving technical colleges, a departure from the trend… of converting mid-tier colleges into universities,” notes Wairimu. This focus aims to correct a historic “mismatch of skills and job market demands.”
2. Financial Access: Critical was opening the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) funding to TVET students, making technical education affordable and placing it on equal footing with university degrees.
3. Curriculum Alignment: The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) emphasizes practical skills, creating a seamless pathway into TVET institutions. “TVETs match well with CBC,” says RVIBS Director John Gitau.
4. Job Market Realities: The direct link between skilled trades and immediate employment is a powerful draw. The government has further boosted appeal by offering **tax rebates to employers who offer internships to TVET graduates.
The Bigger Picture: Industrialization and a Skills Crisis
Educators see this trend as essential for national development. “We must refocus higher education by promoting technical and vocational training,” urges Director Gitau. He argues that technical colleges are “the bearing of a nation’s economy… these are the hands that do the actual job.”
This shift is also a response to a pressing crisis. Instructors like Phillip Gichohi (Electrical Installation) and Francis Mwaura (Plumbing) warn of severe shortages of qualified artisans, electricians, plumbers, masons and welders. In Nakuru, for instance, there are about 500 architects and engineers, but only 200 trained artisans in key trades.
“Kenya could be sitting on a labour time bomb,” Gichohi states, highlighting an overabundance of university-churned professionals against a scarcity of skilled doers, compromising standards in critical sectors like construction.
Recognising Informal Skill: A Game Changer
The change isn’t limited to formal classrooms. Eighteen-year-old John Njoroge (B plain in KCSE) highlights a pivotal reform: the recognition of informally acquired skills. Bodies like KNQA, NITA, and CDACC now issue certificates based on practical competency tests.
“This effectively means a jua kali -trained tailor, carpenter, or plumber may be issued with a recognised certificate,” Njoroge explains. This validation is breaking down elitism and making artisan careers more attractive, aiming to change the perception that they are “for dropouts.”
A Symbiotic Future, not a Replacement
Director Gitau dismisses the notion that TVET’s rise makes university education useless. “The need is for the two to work together,” he says. Universities produce the researchers, engineers, and theorists who conceptualize, while TVETs produce the highly skilled manpower to implement and build. The future, it seems, lies in synergy.
The journey of students like Mercy Wairimu symbolizes a broader, healthier evolution in Kenya’s education and career landscape. It’s a move from a singular, prestigious path to a diversified, practical, and passionate one. As policy continues to support this shift, TVET institutions are steadily shedding their stigma and emerging as powerful hubs fueling both individual ambition and the nation’s industrial dreams under Vision 2030.