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{
    "id": 38412,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/38412/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 262,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Munyes",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Labour",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 187,
        "legal_name": "John Kiyonga Munyes",
        "slug": "john-munyes"
    },
    "content": " Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to thank those who have contributed. I have taken those comments seriously and we will incorporate them in the coming amendments at the Committee Stage. Let me clarify one thing about industrial training. Industrial training has been confused and in many cases, people call it vocational training. I want to give an example of a graduate coming from the University of Nairobi with a degree in mechanical engineering. The person gets a job, but does not have the skills. So, we need a centre of excellence to improve those skills and the know-how of that student who has just got a job. This is the kind of thing we want to do in this country. What we have now is obsolete. Our mechanics are being trained on the carburetor systems and yet the technology is now fuel injection, for instance. Those are the kind of centres of excellence. It is not vocational training, but industrial training to improve skills. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I agree with county devolution and the fact that we should have centres of excellence at every county. Those are some of the amendments which will come and I take that seriously. With regard to curriculum design, the role of the Authority is primarily designed to curriculum, implement and co-ordinate policy. With regard to the qualifications of the Authority members, while it is a tripartite body that draws from workers, employers and the Government, in the amendments we have said that we will increase the level of qualification to ensure that we get the best from the workers, the employers and those interested parties who would want to serve in that Authority. So, whether it is COTU sending its representatives or the FKE, we will put the higher speck and, therefore, we expect to get the most qualified Kenyans in this Authority. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we need to hire quality personnel training. That is why we have said that we need to make this an Authority from a department in the Ministry of Labour because resources have lacked in the Ministry. We thought that this will make it a parastatal that will attract the best brains in this country and investments. Therefore, I agree with those who are saying that for us to make it competitive, the way to go is to create this Authority. We will correct the small technical issues like the Minister and make it Cabinet Secretary and the others. Those are typographical errors. The most important one was the one on devolution which I agree with the Members that we need to have it in every county. Every county should have a centre of excellence on industrial training. Many of the Ministries have a department on training, for instance, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and, of course, the Ministry of Labour. We need somebody to co-ordinate, but I do not want to say that this Authority should be in charge of that. Surely, industrial training is not vocational training and, therefore, the Industrial Training Authority cannot co-ordinate and direct vocational training because they are two different training approaches. I want to persuade Members today to pass this Bill and allow us to get more capacity and blood into this Authority. Let Kenyans enjoy this and as we look into the Vision 2030, we have a body that will push us forward and ensure that Kenyans have the best skills and personnel to take us into the years to come."
}