On 22^nd May, 2025, the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), in partnership with GIZ Kenya and Generation Kenya, hosted the Textile & Apparel Sector Roundtable that aimed at advancing Dual TVET collaboration and strengthening skills development in the textile and apparel sector in Kenya's Coast Region.  Bringing together private sector players, TVET institutions, government agencies, and other stakeholders, the discussion focused on addressing the skills gap; a key challenge and on aligning training with industry needs, enhancing apprenticeships, and building sustainable partnerships to boost sector productivity and competitiveness.

The roundtable kicked-off with opening remarks from Maurice Owaka, TVET Project Coordinator at KEPSA (Coast Region), who spoke about the organization's ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration between the private sector and TVET institutions, particularly in the textile and apparel sector. He emphasized KEPSA’s belief that the private sector must play a proactive role not just as consumers of skilled labour, but as co-creators of a job-ready workforce. Maurice highlighted several key areas of engagement, including support for structured internships and apprenticeships through initiatives like the Dual TVET Program and the recently Launched Technical and Vocational Education and Training – Entrepreneurship Program (TVET-E) that aims to promote entrepreneurship among TVET graduates.

Emphasizing the critical role of TVET in economic development, Ms Jane Kariuki, Deputy Principal, Kenya Coast National Polytechnic, in her key remarks highlighted its contribution to equipping youth with practical, soft, and entrepreneurial skills. She underscored the success of the Dual Training model, which has strengthened industry partnerships, curriculum relevance, and student employability. She also advocated for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to certify experienced but uncertified workers, and highlighted the institution’s efforts in promoting green skills through environmental initiatives. “Platforms such as these are important to connect training institutions with industry, promoting best practices, benchmarking, and partnerships. There’s a need for deeper collaboration across sectors, and stakeholders to ensure Kenya nurtures a productive, future-ready workforce. This model, which Kenya Coast National Polytechnic has seen success in curriculum co-creation, enhanced student placement, reduced unemployment, and increased relevance of skills training.”

While highlighting the different strategies done by Generation Kenya to help bridge the skills gap, Allan Wanjala, Coast Region Lead, Generation Kenya delivered a comprehensive presentation on the critical importance of aligning training programs with the evolving needs of the industry. He began by highlighting the central challenge facing Kenya’s workforce; not the lack of human capital, but the lack of job-ready skills. “While the country boasts of a large and youthful labour force, the disconnect between education system outputs and real market demands has led to a shortage of adequately skilled workers, particularly in the manufacturing sector. Coast region is quickly becoming a new hub for textile manufacturing, this growing interest is attributed to the shifting global trade dynamics, with international buyers exploring alternative sourcing destinations, Kenya is being positioned as a viable and competitive option.” He said

In her presentation, Ms Arnolda Chao, Private Sector Advisor, GIZ Kenya provided a comprehensive overview of the Dual TVET programme supported by GIZ Kenya under the Youth Employment and Vocational Training programme. Her remarks focused on the progress, structure, partnerships, and impact of the initiative, particularly in the Coast region. “The Dual TVET rollout has included training of over 1,200 TVET personnel, engaging over 1,000 companies, and reaching around 6,000 students, of whom 40% are women and 1% are persons with disabilities. The Dual model is now even backed by an approved national Dual TVET policy, positioning it for long-term sustainability within Kenya’s education system. This approach not only produces better-trained graduates but also fosters loyalty to companies, improves company image, and builds a reliable talent pipeline.” She said

The roundtable ended with different engaging panel sessions. The panel brought together voices from across the textile and apparel value chain. Speakers shared practical insights into youth skilling, sustainability, business development, and enterprise support, particularly in the Coast Region. Core issues included the undervaluation of fashion and textile careers by youth, supply chain and quality inconsistencies, limited access to finance and formalisation for small businesses, and the need for stronger linkages between TVET institutions and employers. The discussion also highlighted innovative approaches to youth engagement, such as zero-waste design, local sourcing, mentorship, and environmental consciousness.