March 26, 2024 | Nairobi, Kenya
A team of local PEP researchers held a stakeholder meeting to share their findings on how soft-skills training can improve labour-market outcomes for young people in Kenya.
March 26, 2024 – A team of local PEP researchers brought together stakeholders from the fields of employment and vocational education to share evidence on improving labour-market outcomes for youth in Kenya.
The project team shared the findings from their three-year research initiative looking at the impact of gender-sensitive soft-skills training for students at technical and vocational education and training (TVET) centres in Kenya.
The research was conducted as an experimental impact evaluation in collaboration with four public TVET institutions. In addition to their regular classes, students in the treatment group attended a training course covering topics such as gender in the world of work, finding work, interpersonal relations, and problem-solving.
Course implementers and trainees attended the stakeholder meeting along with representatives of the State Department of TVET and the Federation of Kenya Employers.
Trainees shared their experiences, saying how they feel the course made them better at communication, teamwork and problem solving within the work environment.
The research team explained how by conducting pre-, mid- and post-treatment surveys, and comparing the results to a control group, they could identify the effect of the training on young people’s perceptions of the labour market, school-to-work transitions, and employment and empowerment outcomes.
They shared their findings that providing gender-sensitive soft-skills training as part of technical and vocational courses smooths the students’ school-to-work transitions by improving their job search efforts, increasing their openness to job offers and migrating for work, and increasing the likelihood of full-time employment. The team also found that the training had a positive impact on the actual labour market outcomes of young women in particular.
Responding to the findings, Grace Kaome from the Federation of Kenya Employers said: “The impacts you see in the studies are likely to come from the support and training given to girls that enhanced their confidence and capacity … Employers are committed to helping institutions train graduates that are ready for the market and soft skills are important even for economic growth.”
A panel discussion followed the research presentation. Purity Mutea, Deputy Principal at the Nairobi Technical Training Institute said: “Soft skills are key not only for the job market but also for the day to day life. TVETs are working with the industry to develop the curriculum.”
Nelson Vunyinda, a Senior Economist at the State Department of TVET agreed. “Technical skills are important and soft skills are equally important … As we train students, let us know their differences and enhance positive interactions to help in character building,” he said.
Course implementers at TVET institutions provided feedback on what had worked well, from enthusiastic and supportive trainers to captivating course content. They also identified challenges such as ensuring attendance and scheduling an additional course within the limits of the learning timetables.
Feedback from the audience will inform the team’s work as they refine their research paper and policy brief, to be published in the next few weeks.
The research team organized the event with financial and advisory support from PEP. The research project was carried out as part of the Gender-Sensitive Intervention to Improve Women’s Labour Market Outcomesinitiative, supported by PEP with funding from Canada’s International Development Research Centre.
