A Comparison of Technical and Vocational Acquired Skills Differences Based on Gender in Tvet Institutions, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Lower participation of women in the labor force and/or concentration of women labor in un skilled or low skilled, low income generating economic activities including part time and casual work has created many questions among the researcher on the kind and quality of technical and vocational skills acquired by woman. The current study compared technical and vocational acquired skills acquired between male and female in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, Uasin Gishu. From the findings it has been observed that Male students had significantly and highly acquired interpersonal skills, Information Communication Technical (ICT) skills, Critical analysis, ability to use numerical data and management skills than female. Male students had also acquired critical thinking skills two times higher than that of female students. In addition, the study concludes that male students had acquired skills in many areas than female students. On the other hand female students had acquired high significant skills in ability to work in a team, organizational skills and academic qualifications than male. There is need to diversify Vocational and Technical Training and improve access for and retention of girls and women in education and vocational training in such fields as science, mathematics, engineering, environmental sciences, information technology and new technologies, as well as management training.

Keywords; Gender, Technical, Vocational, TVET, Skills