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Shamberere Technical Training Institute : A Hub Under The JOY Project

About Shamberere TTI

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Shamberere Technical Training Institute (STTI) is a tertiary Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution that was established in 1982 in the Shamberere area, Malava Sub-County, Kakamega County, located one kilometer off the Kakamega-Malava-Webuye road at Kambi ya Mwanza next to West Kenya Sugar Company (KABRAS).

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STTI As A Hub Under The JOY Project 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner el_class=”main”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Shamberere Technical Training Institute is one of the hubs under the JOY project and its selection as a hub under JOY is premised on its rich experience as a vocational and training center offering a variety of courses in line with providing youth with skills that lead to employment.

The hub offers short courses in electronics, robotics, automation, agriculture, and business ICT among others. STTI has a rich menu in providing technical skills to the youth under the integrated agribusiness business, especially in areas where courses are linked with agriculture. The programs in mechanization, ICT, and business are all linked with empowering youth towards obtaining skills that can be useful for wage and self-employment. The labor assessment study that was conducted at the onset of JOY clearly highlighted the skills gaps that employers found among youth who were seeking employment as well as possible skills that would empower youth towards gaining employment. Shamberere Technical Training Institute sets itself apart from the rest of other hubs as a center of excellence in providing skills in fabrication, mechanization, and electronics geared towards agribusiness development. The hub has a set of workshops and trained personnel who have garnered experience in developing products that would readily address the equipment needs required in Kenya’s agricultural sector. This thus provides an opportunity to the JOY project in terms of providing a base to train youth in agricultural mechanization, electronics, and fabrication so as to embark on self or wage employment.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner el_class=”main”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

STTI Units And What They Bring To The JOY Project

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The Mechanical and Robotic Workshops:

STTI has specialized and dedicated mechanical and robotic workshops, which provide an avenue for training and hands-on opportunity for training youth in designing and fabricating equipment that is needed in the agriculture sector. Unlike other hubs in the JOY project, STTI is the only hub that has dedicated equipment and programs that are focused on mechanization. This makes STTI unique from its peers providing a niche for this institute whilst at the same time also offering unique skills sets and opportunities to innovate in design, fabrication, and piloting innovations. The agricultural sector is heavy on the usage of mechanization and as such, it requires a unique pool of technicians who are innovative to enable the usage and application of this heavy equipment. The robotics workshop as well supports the development of automatic devices that reduce on use of human labor thus increasing efficiency. KABRAS is one example of industries that has relied on STTI in providing unique spare parts to run the sugar mill.

STTI provides an avenue to youth who are interested in the mechanization of agriculture with the opportunity to enhance their skills through specialized training, mentorship, and a hub through which they can be able to fabricate and test their designs and innovations. With the support of mentors and coaches at the hub, youth will be provided with the necessary skills and support to ideate, test innovations, and be linked with industry to test their innovations and offer their skills. The agricultural marketplace is in demand for skilled artisans and innovators, due to the demand and use of heavy machinery.

Sustainability and Business Model:

STTI business model has been designed in a traditional academic setting of training students at a fee for a given academic training program. In other instances, the institute has been involved in offering technical support to clients who need services, especially in the fabrication of parts for the running of equipment. However, management realizes the need to be self-sustaining and innovative in creating other revenue streams and as such is looking at the craft of proposal writing to win funding projects that could be implemented through STTI whilst also offering unique short-term courses in agricultural engineering or agribusiness management.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]