A paper presented by

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ACTIVITIES TO STRENGTHEN SKILLS AND EMPLOYABILITY
THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF ICT AND E-LEARNING A
CASE OF CHEPKOILEL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, KENYA

• A paper presented by
• Prof. John Simiyu
• e-mail jwsi54_at_yahoo.com 
• AT THE 5TH ANNUAL UNESCO-UNEVOC ICT IN TVET
  SUMMIT IN DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
• 25-27 MAY, 2011

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Abstract

• Information Communication and Technology (ICT) is
  the worlds fastest growing economic activity
  with Kenyas ICT industry growing at a promising
  rate.
• Countries that have harnessed the potential of
  ICT have attained significant social and economic
  development.
• There are indications that ICT creates jobs
  through direct employment in the ICT industries
  and indirectly through ICT enabled and ancillary
  enterprises.

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Abstract contd.

• Chepkoilel University College, a constituent
  college of Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya, aims
  to implement activities to strengthen skills and
  employability through the integration of ICT and
  e-learning in its programmes.

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Introduction

• Information Communication and Technology (ICT) is
  the worlds fastest growing economic activity.
• Kenyas ICT industry is growing at a promising
  rate.
• This is a direct result of the positive changes
  being experienced in the business environment
  following the decisive steps taken by the
  government in 2004.
• The figure below indicates the number of African
  countries which showed effort toward ICT policy
  formulation by the year 2000 and 2005

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Introduction contd.
Figure showing Progress of ICT policy
making in African countries
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Introduction contd.

• If that be the trend, by 2010, the countries with
  ICT policy should have doubled to 60.

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Introduction contd. - ICT plans by African region
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Introduction contd.

• West Africa has a high prevalence of national ICT
  plans but may have not been revised in years.
• North Africa has the highest implementation rate.
• At best, 60 of African nations have ICT plans
  and only half of these have been drafted in the
  past few years.

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Introduction contd.

• Central Africa is making the most relative
  progress in terms of official ICT vision.
• NB Data is challenging to obtain.

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The Kenyan scenario

• The government of Kenya has invested in the
  development of an enabling environment with
  modern communication infrastructure.
• The completion of the optical undersea fiber
  cable dubbed TEAMS in 2009 to connect Kenya to
  the rest of the world through Mombasa will
  address the most critical infrastructural
  requirement for the development of ICT

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The Kenyan scenario contd.

• The project is expected to address the connection
  and open up rural Kenya to ICT.
• The government of Kenya recognizes the role of
  ICT in the social and economic development.
• The government has promulgated a national ICT
  policy based on economic Recovery Strategy for
  Wealth and Employment Creation 2003-2007 .

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General benefits of ICT

• Use of ICT may be associated with new patterns of
  job creation and job loss.
• There are indications to suggest that jobs could
  be lost through obsolescence, automation and
  disintermediation.
• While ICT and e-learning replace old tasks and
  occupations through automation, the same
  technologies also create new tasks and
  occupations whereby ICT products and services
  generate new jobs.

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General benefits of ICT contd.

• ICT creates jobs through direct employment in the
  ICT industries and indirectly through ICT enabled
  and ancillary enterprises.
• The creation of industries such as the software,
  computer, microelectronic and GSM industries
  brings about new employment opportunities.
• Countries that have harnessed the potential of
  ICT have attained significant social and economic
  development.
• Such countries are rapidly transforming into
  information knowledge based economies.

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General benefits of ICT contd.

• Countries where ICT sector is liberalized tend to
  have a higher telecommunications penetration as
  reflected in the increased growth of economy with
  more jobs being created directly and indirectly
  and more positive impact on poverty alleviation.

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Status of ICT at the College

• Although the status of ICT uptake at the college
  is relatively low, the college takes cognizance
  of the critical role ICT and e-learning play in
  education.
• The college reckons that while education is a
  significant predictor of employment, ICT and
  e-learning, when integrated in the disciplines,
  especially TVET, can become the most impactful
  things a person can do to improve employability

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Status of ICT at the College contd.

• The department of Technology education houses the
  UNEVOC Centre in the newly established Chepkoilel
  University College, a constituent college of Moi
  University.
• The Strategic Plan (2011-2015) of the college
  contains the ICT policy that addresses the basic
  needs of staff and students in as far as
  requisite ICT skills and techniques in quest for
  knowledge in various specialties are concerned

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Status of ICT at the College contd.

• ICT skills and techniques are harmonized in terms
  of which skills are sufficient and at what level
  in order to improve employability.
• The question is What specific ICT and
  e-learning related skills are necessary for
  getting, keeping and doing well on a job, hence
  creating and sustaining more jobs?

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Status of ICT at the College contd.

• The college has embarked on putting up an
  ambitious programme and infrastructure in ICT and
  e-learning.
• The college ICT policy is to unify all sources of
  information by their interconnection on a single
  high speed network to
• Carry out research
• Access student information held at the
  administrator

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Status of ICT at the College contd.

• Access bibliographic information from the library
  and other remote database.
• Access internet
• Communicate via e-mail (intranet or internet)

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School of Education

• The school houses Technology education
  department, the home of the UNEVOC Centre.
• The department offers vocational education and
  technical skills development for teachers to
  teach in technical training institutions in the
  country.
• The graduates either are employed or go out to
  create jobs or employment.

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School of Education contd.

• Application skills are integrated in technology
  courses.

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School of Agriculture and Biotechnology

• The school is strategically situated in the White
  Highlands the granary of wheat and maize
  farming in the country.
• The school recognizes that value chain through
  the introduction of appropriate e-agriculture
  programmes holds a very huge potential for
  generating large volumes of decent jobs.

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School of Agriculture and Biotechnology contd.

• The e-agriculture programme in extension provides
  the platform for information sharing between
  agricultural researchers and extension workers .
• There is a potential job creation of extension
  workers, researchers and others involved in
  content development.

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School of Agriculture and Biotechnology contd.

• It is hoped that these programmes will also
  contribute tremendously to empowering farmers
  with relevant skills and information to boost
  their productivity and profitability.

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School of Business and Economics

• The school is relatively new having been
  re-established after the former school was moved
  to main campus of Moi University.
• Without a doubt, embarking on an e-business
  effort requires as much thinking about business
  strategy as it does about technology (ICT).

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School of Business and Economics contd.

• E-business is integrated in the teaching of the
  courses whereby learning how to use internet to
  connect with the customers, partners and
  suppliers is done.
• This transforms the existing and potential
  businesses to make them more efficient hence
  creating more jobs and employment.

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School of Business and Economics contd.

• The term e-business is used interchangeably with
  e-commerce although e-commerce refers only to
  on-line transactions of selling goods and
  services which the government of Kenya plans to
  implement.
• Incorporation of e-payment systems and
  e-signature acts in the teaching and learning
  should transform the growth of e-commerce
  graduates in the country.

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School of Science

• The largest school that houses the main computer
  programmes in the college.
• General aspects of computing are provided to
  students in the department of mathematics and
  computer science.
• Specialized knowledge application in ICT is
  offered in the three schools as discussed above.

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Entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship skills are employed in the
  programmes school-wide so that graduates do not
  always look up to the government to provide jobs.
• This encourages graduates to be innovative,
  creative and job creators rather than job
  seekers.

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Conclusion

• Evidence abounds about the significance of ICT in
  socio-economic development of Kenya as a country
  just as in any other country.
• It is hoped that Chepkoilel University College
  provides a primary step toward strengthening
  skills and employability in its teaching and
  learning through integration of ICT and
  e-learning in its diverse nature of programmes.

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ICT practical class in session
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The End

• Thank you very kindly