Specialist in Agriculture and Training  

The Government of Kenya is committed to promoting Technical and Vocational Education and Train ing (TVET), as stipulated in Article 55 of the Constitution. The goal is to provide quality education that equips learners with skills for global competitiveness. However, the implementation of this goal faces several challenges. Demographic changes have led to increased demand for training, requiring the government to rapidly expand its training capacity. Other significant challenges include limited financial resources, low teaching quality, insufficient reliable and aggregated data for decision-making, weak linkages between training and labour market needs, an overly theoretical orientation of many programmes, and the low income generated by most training institutions.

Since TVET is a devolved function, county governments are responsible for running and financing most Vocational Training Centres (VTCs). Kisumu County, one of the 47 devolved administrative units, operates 28 VTCs. The county intends to transform some of these VTCs into "Centres of Vocational Expertise" (CoVEs), each specialising in one or two priority professions.

Smart specialisation is a defining characteristic of a CoVEx. It emphasises the strategic focus on high-impact sectors and technologies that align with regional economic priorities. CoVEx institutions integrate their training programmes into broader innovation ecosystems, thereby maximising eco nomic impact and improving graduate employability. In Kisumu County, agriculture has been identified as a key economic sector, particularly in the context of the Blue Economy and environmental challenges and represents an important source of income for the region.

Your activities / tasks

As a Comundo Technical Advisor, you will play a key role in advancing Comundo's country programme in Kenya by supporting Kisumu County in the development of sustainable agricultural practices, strengthening technical and vocational agricultural training, and enhancing collaboration between training institutions, industry, and farming communities. Your contribution will help increase produc tivity, improve food security, and promote economic empowerment within the county.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Improve agricultural training programs and curricula in TVET institutions in alignment with labour market needs.
• Mentor TVET instructors and extension officers in modern agricultural technologies.
• Facilitate dual training initiatives linking classroom learning with practical experience in farms and agribusiness.
• Strengthen collaboration between farmers, agribusiness stakeholders and training institutions.
• Promote adoption of sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices.
• Support agripreneurship and business incubation initiatives within TVET institutions.
• Develop partnerships with financial institutions for graduates' access to credit and resources.