Best Technical Certificate Courses to study in Kenya in 2024
What Are the Top Technical Certificate Courses to Pursue in Kenya in 2024?
Many students in Kenya are opting for technical certificate courses and vocational careers after completing their KCPE or KCSE exams. They are choosing to bypass traditional university education. They seek career-oriented certificate courses that can provide them with valuable skills and pave the way for a respectable livelihood. These forward-thinking individuals prioritize skill enhancement and practical training over accumulating theoretical academic knowledge. This model is often associated with traditional schooling and college education in Kenya.
This trend isn’t unique to Kenya; it’s a global phenomenon. A growing number of young people, both in Kenya and worldwide, are choosing to forego formal education or leave school early. They don’t view education as an absolute necessity or a guaranteed ticket to a lucrative and fulfilling career.
Fortunately, there is a wide range of career-oriented certificate courses available to students after KCPE and KCSE in Kenya. But how do you determine which career path suits you best? Let’s explore some options.
Important Factors to Consider While Choosing a Career for Yourself
Choosing a career path is one of the most important and life-changing decisions that you will ever make in your life. You first need to discern a specific career for yourself. More often than not, it will persist with you for the rest of your life. This is because changing careers midway is not only challenging but also unfeasible at times. Hence, careful consideration of your career path is important. It is highly unlikely that each and every profession will complement your unique skills, interest or temperament.
“Follow your passion, the money will follow. Do what you love, and the money will follow. Most people don’t believe it, but it’s true.”
– Oprah Winfrey.
While charting your career path, you must never lose sight of your passion. Not even for the sake of monetary and other practical benefits. This might mean that you won’t end up making a fortune. However, you will find happiness in giving your best efforts to every endeavour of yours. These in turn, will earn you success and emotional gratification in the long run.
Before you zero in on a particular occupation, you should take out time to introspect about the factors that matter most for choosing a good career course for yourself.
Check the following factors to determine your suitability and aptitude for a career:
Does the profession interest you and excite you enough to consider it as a long-term career option?
Do you think that you would enjoy doing it for a considerable period of time?
Does it fit in with your innate passions and allow you to engage with what you find interesting or is it more of a practical decision without any consideration for your talents and inner happiness?
What is the future employment scope in your preferred field?
Is it a growing sector or is it a stagnant domain?
If it is growing, what has been the industry growth rate in the last few years?
Does your chosen industry offer you ample job opportunities.
Are there enough vacancies for candidates in your city?
Do you have to relocate outside your hometown or country for better career prospects?
Are you physically and mentally attuned to the requirements of your dream career?
Do you think that you have the right attitude to overcome the stress associated with your chosen profession?
Can you still deliver exemplary performance consistently?
Are you adequately endowed with the required skills that are desirable in the profession of your liking?
If you lack any specific skill, can it be acquired via on the job industrial training and specialized courses or should it be intrinsic to your core nature?
Finding time to ponder the above is necessary if you want to choose your career wisely. A career that is fulfilling enough to be sustained and enjoyed for a long time without being relegated to a monotonous and meaningless ‘to-do’ with each passing year!
Students in Kenya have many options to chose a suitable career
To establish a strong foundation for your chosen career path, you must opt for a professional, career-oriented course. This becomes particularly important when there are gaps in formal education that need compensation. These courses are not only designed to provide the essential skills. They are also industry insights and technical know-how necessary for excelling in your chosen occupation. Embracing such educational opportunities can significantly enhance your prospects and competencies in the professional landscape.
Rather than focusing only on theoretical knowledge, such career-propelling courses emphasize practical learning to provide you with a real-world exposure to niche industry requirements and simultaneously sharpen your ability to apply your reasoning power to achieve the desired results. There are plenty of such career courses in Kenya which you can join after KCPE and KCSE.
Moreover, majority of these skill enhancement courses do not make it mandatory for candidates to complete their secondary education before applying for them, which makes them apt for students who do not have the inclination to pursue their studies any further.
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”
– Albert Einstein.
To alleviate your dilemma of discerning a suitable job-oriented course that can give wings to your entrepreneurial dreams, we have compiled the below list of best possible marketable technical certificate courses that can help you future-proof your career in an informed manner.
Ideal Job Oriented Courses after KCSE in Kenya
Mobile Repairing Course
With the ever-evolving and literally ‘indispensable’ smartphones showing no signs of any immediate popularity wane, the demand for feature-rich mobile phones is constantly on the rise and so is the need for mobile phone repair technicians who are adept in the art and science of diagnosing and fixing faults associated with handsets of different makes and models.
The future too looks promising for the mobile phone repair industry in Kenya. There are plenty of jobs for mobile repairing technicians and hence the unemployment rate of such technicians is very low.
Thus, if you are a self-proclaimed gadget geek who seeks pleasure in laying his/her hands on the latest cell phone models hitting the shelves or one who loves to dissemble his/her handset on the slightest pretext in order to satiate his/her hidden urge to thoroughly inspect their phone’s various electronic parts and have a detailed understanding of how the internal components function in tandem, then a career in mobile repairing can be a lucrative and a win-win option for you to earn handsomely while following your passion.
A reputed technical training institute such as Inceptor Institute of Technology offers a comprehensive, affordable and best mobile repairing course in Kenya that covers both the fundamentals as well as advanced level techniques of mobile repairing and also provides free technical support, career guidance and job assistance to its students after course completion.
Suitable for both school/college students who are looking for a profitable career option and for businessmen who are aspiring for an additional source of income, this short-term course offers all-round flexibility with respect to its eligibility criteria, class schedules, batch duration and payment of course fees, based in Nairobi.
Students can join mobile repairing course after completing their KCSE, while in college of after completing their college/university education.
A career in graphics designing gives one unlimited scope to unleash their creativity to the fullest. Hence, this career path is best suited for imaginative people who love to draw and sketch, can think out of the box, have great sense of design aesthetics and can come up with innovative design themes.
A certification in this graphic design will help you gather key design and technical skills that can set the foundation for a successful career ahead while an internship will allow you to gain experience and form new contacts that can be instrumental in your job search.
As a certified graphic designer, you can expect multifarious roles across leading businesses and organizations, media houses, design studios, advertising agencies, film production companies, television channels, publishing companies and other creative firms.
Take your passion for the electronic gadgets to the next level by topping your technical certificate course in mobile phone troubleshooting with a professional course in laptop repairing. A booming sector with unlimited opportunities and sound earning potential, a certification in computer repair can endow you with chip-level repairing intricacies of popular laptop and notebook models that have a huge demand in the market.
Apart from learning how to assemble and disassemble best-selling laptop models of renowned brands, you will also learn how to fix day-to-day laptop-specific issues such as repairing the motherboard, servicing faulty hinges, installing OS, software and drivers, upgrading RAM, HDD and processor, replacing LCDs and battery, etc. After completion of your course, you can expect to be employed in one of the several service centres of reputed brands or choose to be self-employed by establishing your own laptop repairing service.
Electrician Course
Everyone needs the services of an electrician, when there is a power outage, a short circuit or when any of their electrical appliance stops working. An electrician course is a short duration course with good earning potential from future point of view.
Most of the electricians in India have learned the skills without joining any technical institute. But a formal certificate course or diploma is always recommended.
Computer Hardware and Networking Course
Pursuing a course in computer hardware and networking can help SSC and HSC students as well as graduates. They can make it big in the arena of computer repairing. This is inarguably a growing field that is teeming with opportunities and boasts an ever-growing scope.
With factors like a booming IT sector and rise in digitization and Internet penetration leading to an increased adoption of laptops and desktops at home and at work, there is a recurring need for the periodic maintenance of these devices and troubleshooting of their everyday faults, which makes this field a wise career choice for job seekers.
Enrolling in a computer hardware and networking course can help students broaden their know-how of different hardware components and network devices such as the monitor, printer, keyboard, mouse, chips, RAM, motherboard, hard drive, graphic card, router, modem, switch etc. while teaching them the basics of computer networking.
The fact that a technical background is not a prerequisite to make a career in computer hardware and networking makes it one of the best possible short-term courses that are tailored to suit the distinct needs of school and college students.
Another profitable career certificate option that befits students is the job role of an auto mechanic. An auto mechanic is a qualified professional who is well-versed with the intricacies of maintaining and modifying automobiles and their various parts. At times, other than servicing cars of different brands and providing their repair estimates, such skilled mechanics are also trained on the diagnostic and repair techniques pertaining to small and light trucks.
Since decades now, the role of a driver has been much in demand owing to the fact that he or she fulfills one of the most basic requirements of mankind, i.e., helping people move from one place to another by transporting them in private and public conveyance such as cars, buses, taxis etc.
While a driver’s salary was nothing substantial to merit a mention in the last few decades, the recent advent of revolutionary app-driven, cab aggregation services like Bolt and Uber have altered the scene significantly with both Bolt and Uber drivers earning more as opposed to their conventional yellow line cab counterparts. Thus, this is the right time for job seekers to venture into this lucrative sector and exploit the benefits that are on offer in this flourishing space.
Because safety of passengers/pedestrians and adherence to traffic rules and regulations are of paramount importance in this job role, hence, it is desirable that you enrol in a professional driving course to learn and increase your know-how of safe driving techniques and simultaneously earn a smart driving license in order to be able to operate private and public motor vehicles in a dexterous manner through the busy and challenging urban streets of today.
Plumbing Course
The income in plumbing has increased to a large extent. This is due to a shortage of competent plumbers in most places in Kenya. This makes it rank high among the sought after technical certificate courses. Many people can do minor electrical repairs themselves, but when it comes to plumbing, they immediately call plumbers to get their leakages fixed.
You can learn plumbing either by joining an institute or by learning practically under a plumber himself. A career in plumbing is also future proof as we will need plumbing services all along.
Are you a fashion-conscious person who is always updated with the latest hair styling trends? Do you have a way with scissors and grooming aesthetics? Then, you just found your calling as a hair dresser or a barber! There is an increasing popularity of the salon business and heightened awareness and craze amongst the contemporary urban populace about the need to keep themselves well-groomed and well-styled at all times. Hairdressing is therefore fast becoming one of the most sought-after career choices for school-leavers and undergraduates. This means that there is a huge demand for beauty related technical certificate courses.
You can either choose between the role of a relatively less-skilled barber. Barber’s primary job is to cut hair and trim beards. Alternatively, you can choose to get yourself certified as a skilled hair dresser. This one has mastered the art of cutting and styling hair of miscellaneous length and texture in a fashionable manner. Basically, in a way that suits the contour of one’s face.
Becoming a hair dresser is more profitable for you as opposed to a barber. Not only will you be styling and treating the precious locks of your regular clientele but with time, skills and experience, you can look forward to increasing your portfolio of high-profile clients. Those who don’t mind shelling out a bomb to look and feel their best. They keep up with the hottest and trendiest haircuts and hair treatments doing the rounds!
Of course, long hours are a given in this profession, more so when your fame grows. However, there is joy in styling your clients’ hair to their satisfaction. Moreover, the incentives that come along with the hectic schedules make this profession totally worth your time and hard work.
Conclusion
As evident from the above, lack of education does not necessarily hinder one’s chances of attaining growth and success in life. One willing to explore and seek advantage of the various career options will be ok. These options are available even to school and college students. The above is just a glimpse into the limitless job opportunities that are on offer. Prospects can also steer their careers in many other sectors and business segments. These include call centres, departmental stores, beauty and fashion industry, logistics, restaurants etc.
Given the ever-evolving landscape of technology and industry trends, it’s essential for job seekers to stay updated with current developments in both areas to excel in their chosen fields. Moreover, today’s online service marketplaces like OnlyZap enable you to market your skills online.This is possible even if they don’t possess specific ICT skills. This is possible due to popularization of technical certificate courses.
Lastly, impeccable customer service is a must. So are traits such as hard work, dedication, sincerity and a positive attitude. Leveraging these skills and traits along with the competitive edge of a professional certification can help one to extract the best out of his/her desired career. These will extend to both in terms of monetary compensation and with respect to job satisfaction.
Take your pick from the many technical certificate Courses today and get started on a rewarding career journey. Stuck? We are here to help:
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