Kenya’s green jobs gamble: Why TVET graduates may need markets, not more training

Kenya is expanding its focus on teaching students how to transform waste into useful products, but the real challenge may be turning those skills into viable businesses capable of providing lasting income. This change is taking place within Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, where students are learning about recycling, upcycling, sustainable textiles, and other circular economy practices.

The Ministry of Education is already introducing green and blue curricula into TVET programs, with intentions to incorporate sustainable practices, waste management, and green energy into training. However, a key question remains: can Kenya convert green skills into green jobs? Mary Mugo, the Country Director of Edukans Kenya, points out that the issue isn't just about fostering innovation among young people but ensuring they have access to customers.

She emphasizes that while the youth may be creative, they lack market linkages and support. "We need to tap into their creativity, connect them to MSMEs, and ensure what is made in our TVETs can be sold in our markets. That's how the greening movement becomes a green economy," she explained. As students increasingly experiment with waste as a raw material, innovations like recycled denim bags, patchwork uniforms made from plastic waste, and home décor products have emerged from participating institutions.

Yet, creating an appealing recycled product is merely the initial step. Without access to finance, necessary equipment, standards, dependable suppliers, and buyers, such innovations may remain as demonstrations rather than thriving enterprises. Kenya's broader textile sector serves as a case in point, showcasing both the potential and the pitfalls.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, textile SMEs in Kenya are already experimenting with circular business models to reduce pollution, enhance resource efficiency, and bolster business resilience. UNEP has also identified a skills gap between graduates and industry needs as a barrier to developing a green economy, advocating for closer collaboration between government, educators, and businesses.

For TVETs, this means that merely teaching students how to recycle garments or manage waste is not enough. Training may have to include additional elements such as pricing, branding, quality control, market research, intellectual property protection, and access to finance. The draft national policy for vocational education and training acknowledges this broader need and calls for stronger partnerships for green-skills training and the establishment of institutional hubs to nurture innovation and entrepreneurship.

Anne Kamonjo, speaking on behalf of the State Department for TVET, stresses that institutions must prepare learners for a rapidly changing economy. "TVETs must champion soft skills in greening and fully adopt the green curriculum that has been developed and integrate it into the national training system. We cannot train graduates for yesterday's economy," she stressed.

Mugo notes that the program has already engaged over 20 industries and MSMEs and has supported more than 3,000 young people. The ultimate measure of success, however, may not be the number of students completing green training but how many can successfully convert those skills into enterprises, jobs, and marketable products that can endure.

For Kenya's green transition, the classroom might be only the starting point. The real test lies in what happens when the graduate leaves the classroom.