In a bid to tackle construction skills gap in Kenya, the country plans to implement a comprehensive training manual to boost competence of professionals.
An official from the National Construction Authority (NCA) said that Kenya seeks to invest in quality training and mentorship to bridge the construction skills gap rampant in the construction industry.
Construction skills gap consequences
NCA chief executive Daniel Manduku said that construction kills gap has been identified as one of the causes of substandard construction, which has led to loss of lives and property.
“We are developing a curriculum to improve competence of construction workers and site supervisors,” he said.
Mr Manduku says that rigorous training and adherence to a code of conduct would inject vitality in the construction and real estate sectors.
While the country recently conducted a hotly contested election, Mr Manduku observed that the construction industry in Kenya was not affected by exercise and is set for a boom thanks to influx of foreign direct investments and Diaspora remittances.
The NCA official however expressed fear that unskilled labour, haphazard regulation, limited access to financing and graft could undermine growth of a sector that is key to realization of Kenya’s vision 2030 a a development road map that is set to see the country industrialized by the year 2030.
Manduku revealed the NCA has introduced a competence based curriculum for artisans to ensure they develop houses that meet globally recognized quality standards.
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“We used accredited skilled construction workers and construction site supervisors as panelists to provide valuable insight into existing gaps in the current curriculum,” he explained.
He added that the curriculum focus on regular assessment of technical prowess of different professional cadres in the construction industry.
Other key attributes of competence based curriculum for construction workers include career counseling, certification and organizational development.
According to Mr Manduku an apprenticeship program for both skilled and unskilled construction workers will be rolled out.
Kenya has one of the most vibrant construction sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa which contributes an estimated 7 percent to the country’s GDP.