State Department for Post Training & Skills Development
The State Department for Post Training and Skills Development (PTSD) is one of the four departments under the Ministry of Education, established by the Executive Order No. 1 of June 2018. The broad mandate of the State Department is to provide an institutional framework to devise and implement National, Sectoral and Workplace strategies to develop and improve skills of the Kenyan workforce.
The State Department has responsibility of establishment and management of institutional framework of linking industry skills, skills development and training. Training providers (suppliers) including Public and Private Sector undertake different skilling programmes in a fragmented manner. This has led to inequity in distribution of placement opportunities as well as duplication of efforts and wastage of resources.
There are also weak linkages between training and industry. This has led to mismatch between demand and supply of skills in the labour market as well as hindrance to smooth transition from learning to earning. The State Department is hence committed to creating linkages between training, skills and industry to enhance employability and productivity.
Vision
A globally competitive skilled labour force for sustainable development
Mission
To promote and coordinate skills development through skilling, retooling and strengthening education-industry linkages to enhance employability, productivity and competitiveness
Theme
Towards a Seamless Transition from Learning to Earning
Mandate
In order to address the concerns, the State Department was established and mandated to coordinate, promote, implement and regulate post training and skills development initiatives. Additionally, the Department seeks to upskill the youth with competencies and entrepreneurial capacity to function effectively in the labour market. This is aimed at providing a seamless transition from learning to earning in order to increase productivity and contribute to the economic growth of Kenya. The mandate of State Department as stipulated in the Executive Order No 1 of June 2018 are: –
- Developing and improving the skills of the Kenyan workforce and to integrate those strategies within the National Qualification Framework.
- Overseeing skills development amongst actors and establishment of sector specific skill councils.
- Establishment and management of institutional framework for linking industry, skills development and training.
- Implementation of industrial attachment policy.
- Management of skills and post training policy.
- Harmonisation of skill training at all levels of training.
- Management of national skills development funds.
- Implementation and management of national apprenticeship policy.
- Development and implementation of industry-entrepreneurship linkages.
- Creation and management of an employment database system with linkage to all cadres of all graduates and jobs in the market.
- Registration and approval of professional bodies.
- Assessing industrial training, testing and occupational skills and awarding certificate including government test certificates.
- To improve productivity in the work place and improve competitiveness of employees.
- To promote self-employment.
- To improve the delivery of social services.
Key Strategic Issues
The following five key strategic issues shall be addressed:
- Operationalize Post Training and Skills Development State Department.
- Match skills between training and industry.
- Up to Date Skills Inventory.
- Low self-reliance and productivity among the Youths.
- Partnership and linkages on training and skills development.