120 artisans to benefit from upskilling courses
Krishnamurthy Aravind (second left), the Workshop Business Development Manager at Robert Bosch East Africa, explains how to use equipment donated by the company to Nairobi Technical Training Institute. The equipment will be used to upskill Jua kali artisans working in the automotive sector.
Artisans in the automotive sector will benefit from a new partnership aimed at improving their technical skills.
The partnership dubbed Skills for Employment in the Automotive Sector (SEAS) will see Nairobi Technical Training Institute (NTTI) partner with Robert Bosch and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Kenya, to provide short courses for jua kali artisans and grow the informal workshops into more professional service stations.
Bosch, a German multinational engineering and technology company with operations in Kenya, has donated state-of-the-art training equipment that will be used to offer the short-term training.
Bosch has trained the trainers from NTTI who in-turn will transfer the skills to the artisans. They will also offer technical support throughout the training, as well as internship opportunities through their clients, to complement the experiential learning.
On their part, NTTI, as a growing Centre of Excellence for Automotive Mechatronics, developed the training curriculum in close cooperation with technicians from Bosch. They will be providing the trainers and a training venue for the upskilling programme.
The short course will cover vehicle diagnostics; computerised 3D wheel balancing and alignment; Air conditioning troubleshooting; and general service.
The partnership was bridged by GIZ Kenya who will support in the provision of additional training consumables and equipment to guarantee top notch experiential learning for the trainees. They will support NTTI to design packages for specific target groups and actively promote the training program.
A total of 120 artisans are expected to benefit from this partnership over the next one year, starting December 2021. The trainees will be mobilised by the partners and in close cooperation with the Kenya National Federation of Jua Kali Associations.
The training will target 40 trainees per class for a maximum of 4-weeks to be done during the school holidays (when the full-time students are on break). The project is willing to deliver evening classes, subject to demand.
While welcoming this innovative approach to skills building, Mr Bodo Immink, Country Director GIZ Kenya noted, “Keeping automotive technicians in Kenya up-to-date and current requires constant innovation and change. GIZ is delighted to support this partnership for a better skilled workforce that will not only improve vehicle and road safety significantly, but also contribute to a higher efficiency in the whole transport sector.”
In the long-run, NTTI hopes to operate this training course on a cost-covering mode. This is key for sustainability to allow the institution to cater for routine maintenance of equipment in the future.
