TVETs to fully adopt skills-based curriculum by January 2026

All Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Kenya will transition to a new competency-based education and training (CBET) curriculum by January 2026, marking a major overhaul aimed at aligning skills development with current job market needs.

This was announced during a stakeholders’ meeting held at Kenya Coast Polytechnic in Mombasa, where TVET principals from the Coast region were sensitised on the reforms.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the change is part of a broader plan to transform the education system and produce graduates who are ready for both local and international labour markets.

“We do not need to waste learners’ time making them study common units that do not align with their career paths. You cannot tell me a mason must learn English just to be tested in it,” Ogamba said.

“We were in China the other day, and with just an earpiece, we could communicate effectively. That is where we need to go,” he added.

Ogamba explained that under the CBET system, a learner can acquire a skill in three months and be awarded a certificate.

This will enable them to join the workforce early or return later to gain additional skills. The government aims to increase enrolment from the current 700,000 to two million by the end of this year.

“Only 25 per cent of 2024 Form Four leavers will join universities this year. The remaining 75 per cent will go to TVETs. We must reimagine how we deliver education and prove the impact of this model so that we can secure more funding,” he said.

The CBET curriculum was officially rolled out in all public institutions in May 2025.

So far, 184 modular programmes have been approved by the TVET Authority and the Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council, with 7,000 trainers already enrolled.

The new model is market-driven, flexible, and divided into independent modules that allow learners to complete full or partial qualifications at their own pace and based on their interests.

TVET Principal Secretary Esther Muoria said the modular approach makes learning easier and caters to individual learner abilities.

“A student can now earn a certificate after completing one to six modules. Those capable of acquiring three skills – such as bricklaying, plastering and finishing – can do so within three months,” she said.

“This is not a reform for the TVET department alone. It is a national education revolution,” Muoria added, noting that the curriculum is open to learners across the grade spectrum, from A to E” Muoria added.

Anthony Mwangi from the TVET Authority Council said the transition will be fully complete by January 2026, with ongoing learners gradually shifting to the new model.

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• Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)
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• TVETs to fully adopt skills-based curriculum by January 2026
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“Those who are currently enrolled will continue with the current module system until November. New entrants will be advised to sit specific papers in July and November, then move fully into the new model next year,” he said.

Chief Technical Education Officer Dr Bernard Isalambo said the previous curriculum was unnecessarily rigid and left many skilled learners without proper certification.

“We must move away from the idea that a certificate equals competence. Many employers are now looking for practical skills, and that is what CBET is designed to deliver,” he said.

The changes are part of the broader Competency-Based Education system, which will reach the tertiary level in 2029 when the first CBET cohort transitions.

The CBET model is seen as a continuation of that system, and institutions are expected to be fully prepared. The government has also approved the Dual Training Policy, which makes collaboration with industry compulsory.