Skill Development For Accelerated Development: A Case Study Of Thika Technical Training Institute

Abstract

For many years on end, teaching and learning has been confined within the classroom walls. This has been the case due to the fact that the traditional curriculum design has been unresponsive and rigid .Usually, developed for full-time class attendance but with little concern to non-full-time groups such as the working class, the informal sector groups, and the marginalized groups among others. // Thanks to the Common Wealth of Learning (COL) which is working with the Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA) to strengthen institutional capacity to adopt flexible and blended (FaB) delivery approaches in technical and vocational skills development (TVSD) One of its objectives being, increasing access in education to non-full time groups. The paradigm has been passionately embraced by some TVET Institutions, Thika T.T.I being one of them. The approach calls for TVET institutions, managers, teachers and administrators to be flexible in the way they operate and behave in order to increase access to education. It therefore involves assessment of Institutional development, staff development, curriculum police development and infrastructure development. // The paper will therefore, examine how far this has been achieved in Technical T.T. It will further evaluate some of the successful stories of flexibility that have been realized in the institute. That is, staff development, ICT integration in teaching and learning, FSD contribution to gender participation, and short courses that have been developed for the informal sector. It will also look at prospects of Open, Distance and Flexible Learning. Further it will look at the challenges encountered in the process of implementing the FSD initiative. // This will be done through a survey for review of FSD programme. Key persons will be interviewed like the Principal, FSD champion, instructors, Learners and other key implementers. Videos will be taken during the interviews. Closed questionnaires will be formulated as well, and issued to the relevant persons and groups. // Information collected will be analysed, summarized and recommendations given. The recommendations will be of great help to policy makers and the stakeholders who are implementing the FSD programme. They will act as an accelerator to those who have embraced the programme and set the agenda for those who have not started the programme. Areas of improvement will be analysed in order to scale up the FSD initiative. // Paper ID: 92