By Laura Slessor.
On the 25th of September 2019 The Global Peace Foundation was privileged to attend the first ever Tech Educators’ Conference which was organized by Moringa School in conjunction with Strathmore University who were our hosts of the day.
The theme of the conference was: “Enhancing ICT practice skill-set in Higher Education Institutions.” The keynote address was given by Dr. Langat, from Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) Kenya who among his many remarks emphasized that ICT is a key component of learning especially when it comes to the promoting the new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). He also greatly emphasized that there is need to increase investment in ICT infrastructure so as to increase access to ICT and make education more interesting.
Panel discussions were conducted and they was graced by important players in the industry who included the Director of Business Development and Growth, Mr. Bolu, Head of Digital and Innovation at iCube and I&M Bank Ltd, Ms. Jacqui W. Stewart, CEO Brighter Monday, Mr. Emmanuel Mutuma and the Head of Business and Partnerships’, shortlist professionals, Ms. Doris Chelangat. Among the items discussed were; the challenges faced by employers and employees from a skill-set point of view, skill-set development, and the issue of culture fit at the workplace and the importance of data in the employment sector.
Mr. Emmanuel Mutuma mentioned that one of the challenges faced by the job group is that employers want ready talent for example the number of experience years a potential employee should have 2years, 5years or so forth; when what they should actually be doing is taking responsibility for talent development of their employees. Ms. Jacqui also reiterated that the job market today is a demand-driven market and sometimes the best talent is not the fit for the job. However she also mentioned we should urgently find a way to bridge the gap between employees and job-seekers.
A very comprehensive and detailed report was given by Ms. Doreen Mwake – the Content Manager at Brighter Monday; on the effective ways of teaching the millennial generation. She pointed out the important factors to consider for ‘millennials’ in the workplace which included but were not limited to, working remotely, flexible hours, work culture, sense of pride, rewards and recognition, diversity and inclusion and lastly training and development.
Director of learning at Moringa School, Mr. Kwesi closed by saying that opportunities for growth in tech education lies in the ability to gauge the current situation and where we come from. He also re-emphasized the work that Moringa School is involved in to provide a safe space for future tech creators.
The Global Peace Foundation through its Leap Hubs Program has been most vital in working with Moringa School, where since the beginning of January 2019, selected students who participated in GPF’s Leap Hubs program were accepted into a fully funded scholarship program at Moringa School.