Despite this potential many citizens in the informal economy find themselves trapped in a vicious circle of low skills, low productivity and low income. The absence of opportunities and resources for training prevents young workers from enhancing their employability to work out of poverty, and it hinders the economy’s ability to enhance technologies, productivity and development.

This represents the shared responsibility of society: parents, community, enterprises, government and social partners. Informal training/apprenticeship has been providing the traditional solution for developing and financing vocational skills of young people in poor societies. Today, apprenticeship in the informal economy represents the main road to skills development in most developing countries.

National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) conducts assessment of Government trade test. Proficiency and Home care examinations in the months of April, August and December. Grades III, II and I is conducted in April, August, December each year. This December series covered 37(thirty seven) trade testable skill areas. A total of 33,974 candidates were tested from forty seven 47 Counties. The sustained push for the certification of skills is aimed at promoting sustainable socio-economic development through the development of a skilled workforce that is employable, productive, enterprising, innovative, adaptive and competitive. It fulfills the constitutional provisions that affirm the right to equitable and accessible education and training, and employment.

It further demonstrates NITA’s commitment to ensuring that the country attains a skills development system that is responsive to labour market demands in line with Kenya vision 2030 and the big four initiatives, which include: industrialization, manufacturing and agro-processing; affordable housing; food and nutrition security; and universal health coverage.

Through accredition and certification, NITA has continued to entrench a culture of lifelong learning, recognition of prior learning as well as the required infrastructure that can help make such continued learning and training feasible. The Recognition of Prior Learning process enables persons to acquire formal qualification that matches their knowledge and skills which enhances employability, mobility, lifelong learning and social inclusion the process has the following distinct features; identifying non-formal and informal learning; collection and presentation of evidence of learning; assessment and validation of evidence and issuing a recognized certification if the claims are valid. This is particularly necessary in the wake of forth industrial revolution leading to rapid technological developments in the global labour market.

NITA will continue to champion the enhancement of the skills ecosystem as a key economic catalyst driven by industrial training aimed at improving the skills system and help raise employment, industry productivity and drive industries up the value-chains.