Influence of Academic Admission Qualifications on Student Skills Development in Public Technical Training Institutions in Kenya

Abstract

Technical education skills development is one of the strategies Kenya needs for the achievement of sustainable transformative development. The role the technical institutions play in the achievement of this goal cannot be significant without relevant academic admission qualifications. The objective of the study was to examine the influence of academic admission qualifications on student skills development in public technical training institutions in Kenya. Focusing on Diploma final year 2021 students Clothing Technology and Building and Construction Technology, the study population included 49 technical institutions recognized by Technical Vocational Education and Training Authority, Kenya National Examination Council, and Higher Education Loan Board (HELB) not later than 2018, 49 principals, 348 lecturers and 4,999 students from which a sample of 11 principals, 100 lecturers and 100 students was determined using Fisher (1998) and Bartlett et al, (2001) sample determination formulae. Simple random sampling method was used in sample selection.  Contacted participants included 8 principals. 80 lecturers and 80 students. response rate included 100% for principals, 69(86.25%) for lecturers and 70(87.5%) for students. The study was anchored to the Convergence parallel mixed research design. Data was collected by means of questionnaires, document analysis guide and interview schedules. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in collecting, analyzing and reporting the findings. Hypothesis test results revealed that (H₁) there is a statistically significant relationship between academic admission qualifications and student skill development in which P= ≤0.001, Alpha 0.05. Qualitative results supported these findings as there were several referrals and fails at the KNEC technical results and student grievances over challenging course work content, inadequately trained lecturers and challenging national examinations. The study concluded that Kenya cannot entirely rely on the approved academic admission qualifications in the achievements of sustainable transformative development. The study recommended a review of the open admission policy to diploma level of learning, investment in technical education research, involvement of subject lecturers in the selection of students to TTI with KUCCPS and proposed a perceptual model of TTI curriculum implementation suitable for addressing academic admission qualification issues related to skills development inherent in the TTIs in Kenya.

Keywords: Academic admission qualifications, Kenya, Kenya national examination Council, Skills development, Technical education, institutions, Technical institutions

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-6-10

Publication date: February 28^th 2023