MUST Enhancing Partnerships for Industry-led Vocational Training and Education (ePIVOT) Research Project

EPIVOT is an acronym that stands for: Enhancing Partnerships for Industry-led Vocational Training and education (ePIVOT) in the horticulture value chains of Kenya. This is a project that started in August of 2019 and will end in December of 2021. The project is funded by Netherlands Universities Foundation for International Cooperation (NUFFIC) to the tune of €748,115

EPIVOT Partners

In the Netherlands:

1. NUFFIC: Netherlands Universities Foundation for International Cooperation. the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education (FUNDING)
2. Ministry of Home Affairs in the Netherlands
3. Main Partner: Wageningen University and Research
4. Has University of Applied Sciences
5. Van Hall University of Applied Sciences
6. Aeres University of Applied Sciences

In Kenya:

1. Main Partner: Meru University of Science and Technology
2. Trade Care
3. Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK)
4. Horticulture Association of Kenya (HAK)
5. Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD)

Beneficiary Vocational Colleges (TVETS) in Kenya

1. Marimba campus; Meru University of Science and Technology: Meru County
2. Meru National Polytechnic : Meru County
3. Tharaka Vocational and Technical College: Tharaka Nithi County
4. Siala Technical Training Centre: Migori County
5. Ahero Vocational Training Centre: Kisumu County

Investments for Colleges

1. Meru University of Science and Technology ksh. 8,000,000/=
2. Meru National Polytechnic 2,000,000/=
3. Tharaka Technical and Vocational College 2,000,000/=
4. Siala Technical Training Institute 2,000,000
5. Ahero vocational Training Centre 2,000.000/=

All this is funded by the Netherlands government through the project for Horticulture in Kenya

Final beneficiaries of the Project

• Students (predominantly from rural areas) receiving relevant and labor market relevant education and becoming more employable;
• Extension officers and TVC/ATC teachers will benefit from capacity building in teaching and practical approaches for training and extension service;
• Farmers and farm workers (at least 5% special needs persons such as persons with disability (PWDs) and 30% marginalized persons such as slum dwellers, benefit from capacity building on better horticultural production and value addition
• Private sector companies in the horticulture sector and its service providers gaining access to labor with the necessary competencies that are required;
• Horticultural sector in Kenya benefiting from graduates better equipped to boost commercial horticultural production, processing and (international) marketing

Achievements:

1. Meru University has gained research visibility internationally and within Kenya. Working with counties other than Meru gives the University a National outlook as a National University.
2. All presentations made during project workshops start with Presentations about the university which has helped market Meru University beyond Meru County.
3. NUFFIC approved contingency budget to buy digital equipment for the 5 colleges in the project to move the project activities online due to COVID-19. These included: 55 inch TV, Laptop, Zoom Account and LMS account for each of the 5 colleges.
4. All the Colleges have been sensitized on impacting on the framers around the institution. The local MCAs of all the colleges, the chiefs and the board of governors of all the five colleges were in attendance. In MNP, the MP of the area Mr. Raheem was also present.
5. Training for 32 trainers from all the colleges is ongoing online with trainers from the Netherlands.
6. Each participating college has received a greenhouse to be used for demonstration and for business
7. Each college has set aside land for farming. MUST is benefiting from 10 acres of farming while the smaller colleges are benefiting from 2 acres each.
8. Farm managers have been employed by the project in each college to help train students as well as farmers in the community around each college.
9. KALRO has been approached to partner with each of the 5 colleges on research and new farming methods