Abstract:
Employment is a critical factor in the socio-economic development of a nation. All
else constant, Technical and Vocational Education and Training is an essential aspect
of training with the potential to create employment. However, overwhelming evidence
shows that most TVET graduates cannot secure employment. This study aimed to
assess the factors that influence the employment of TVET graduates in Uasin Gishu
County, Kenya. The objectives were to: Examine whether matching the training
offered in TVET institutions with the industry expectations influence the employment
of TVET graduates; determine the influence of TVET institutions' collaboration with
the industries on the employment of TVET graduates; investigate whether the
availability of workshop and laboratory facilities in TVET institutions influence the
employment of TVET graduates and; establish the extent to which gender equality
influences employment of TVET graduates. A mixed-method research approach and a
descriptive survey research design were adopted. Human Capital Theory by Becker
(2009) guided the study. The target population comprised 31 TVET institutions, 360
TVET graduates, and 110 industry experts. The techniques used were stratified
sampling and simple random sampling to obtain the samples. The data collection
instruments included questionnaires, interview schedules, and document analysis. The
quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS. The qualitative data were analyzed by
presenting themes that emerged. The study's findings were that the majority of the
respondents strongly disagreed with the idea that training offered in TVET institutions
matched the industry expectations. The qualitative findings supported this finding
where the TVET graduates thought they were not competent. The majority of the
respondents disagreed that TVET institutions collaborated with the industries. These
findings were also supported by qualitative findings that TVET graduates lacked
adequate collaboration with the industries through industrial attachments, internship
programs, and workshop and laboratory facilities sharing. Also, most of the
respondents strongly agreed that the availability of workshop facilities promotes
employment. The results were supported by qualitative findings that the inadequate
workshop and laboratory facilities caused the unemployment of the TVET graduates.
The majority of the graduates strongly agreed that employers were gender-biased in
employment. Qualitative findings supported the respondents' belief that no
government policies had been implemented to ensure strict adherence to gender
equality in employment. Regression analysis noted a significant positive relationship
(r > 0; p < 0.05) between employment and: Matching the training offered in TVET
institutions with the industry expectations; TVET institutions' collaboration with the
industries; availability of workshop and laboratory facilities in TVET institutions, and
lastly; gender equality. The study concluded that for the TVET graduates to be
employed in the industries, TVET institutions should: Match their training to industry
expectations, collaborate with industries, avail workshop and laboratory facilities, and
ensure gender equality. The study recommended that TVET institutions match their
training to industry expectations, collaborate with industries, avail workshops and
laboratory facilities, and observe gender equality during the enrolment of trainees.