Abstract:
Governments are renewing efforts to promote Technical and Vocational Education and
Training (TVET) with the belief that skill acquisition enhances productivity and sustains
competitiveness in the global economy. The fact that TVET is a tool for productivity
enhancement and poverty reduction underscores the essence of their effective
management. Despite the numerous interventions made by the various governments to
improve TVET, it has not yielded the required results. This study was designed to assess
the effect of resource management on performance of Technical Vocational Education
and Training, a case of Vocational Training Centres in Busia County, Kenya. The study
was guided by the following specific objectives; to find out the effect of physical
resources management on performance of vocational training centers in Busia County,
to determine the effect of trainers competence management on performance of
vocational training centers in Busia County, to establish the effect of training program
quality assurance management on performance of vocational training centers in Busia
County and to find out the effect of funds management on performance of vocational
training centers in Busia County. In a bid to answer to the research questions the study
adopted a quantitative research design based on a sample drawn from across the Busia
County vocational training centers. The study targeted 197 employees from the 19
vocational training centres. A two-stage sampling technique was adopted where cluster
random sampling was used to select the vocational training centres. The study used Taro
Yamanes formular to calculate the sample size which yielded 132 respondents. Data
was collected by use of questionnaires. Reliability was achieved by Pre-testing of the
instrument. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to ascertain whether the instrument
meets the threshold of 0.7 or above. Based on the R square, Physical resources
management, trainers’ competence management, training program quality assurance
management and fund management explained35.4 %, 29.6%, 58.6 %, 49 %change on
the VTCs in Busia County respectively. Physical resources management trainers’
competence management, training program quality assurance management and fund
management jointly explained 76.4% (R 2 =0.764) change on VTCs in Busia County. The
correlations between Physical resources management, Trainers competence
management, Training program quality assurance management and fund management
was r=.595 ** , r= .544 ** r=.766 ** and .700 ** respectively which were positively and
significantly related to VTCs at P<0.01. In conclusion all the management challenges
significantly affect building and construction technology offered in VTCs in Busia
County. Based on the joint effects of the management challenges training program
quality assurance had the greatest effect on building and construction technology in
VTCs in Busia County but this doesn’t devalue the effect of other management
challenges. In this regard the current study recommends that the central and county
governments should address the management challenges of VTCs to achieve their
required standards in building and construction technology and other courses. The study
also recommended that similar research should be conducted in other counties
considering other technical areas like automotive and electrical.