Tertiary andvocational institutions are playing a critical role in equipping young peoplewith competencies for employment, entrepreneurship and self-reliance, leaders have said.

This was underscored during the inaugural graduation ceremony of Baringo National Polytechnic held in Baringo County, where stakeholders highlighted the growing importance of technical skills in addressing youth unemployment and strengthening the country's workforce.

The ceremony waspresided over by the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Julius Migos Ogamba, whosaid the graduation marked the culmination of the skilling journey for a newcohort of trainees under Kenyas reformed Technical and Vocational Educationand Training (TVET) system operating under the Competency-Based Education andTraining (CBET) framework.

Speaking at theevent, Governor Cheboi reaffirmed the county governments commitment tostrengthening technical and vocational education by supporting polytechnics andTechnical and Vocational Colleges (TVCs) to offer practical and market-drivenskills.

He noted thatthe county will continue mobilizing more young people, particularly those frommarginalized and hardship areas, to enroll in technical institutions as part ofbroader efforts to empower youth and promote sustainable development.

Leaders at theceremony congratulated the graduates, expressing confidence that the practicalskills acquired during their training will enable them to contributemeaningfully to economic growth and national development.