Skills assessments in Kenya reveal training gaps and opportunities

NAIROBI (ILO News) – New skills gap assessments in Kenya’s tourism and fodder sectors have highlighted the need for training that responds more directly to the needs of employers, workers and young people.

Commissioned in 2025 under the International Labour Organization’s Public-Private Development Partnership (PPDP) Phase II project, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the assessments examined skills needs in Nakuru, Kajiado and Narok counties.

They drew on surveys with 47 tourism employers and 50 fodder enterprises, as well as interviews, focus group discussions and site visits with employers, cooperatives, tour operators, equipment dealers, technical and vocational education and training providers, women and young people.

The findings point to a common challenge across the two sectors: many young people are looking for work, while employers continue to report difficulties finding workers with the skills they need.

The findings show that the issue is not a lack of talent among young people, but a mismatch between the skills being taught and the skills employers need. By listening first to employers, training providers, women and young people, we can support curricula that are more relevant, more inclusive and more closely linked to decent work opportunities.

Elias Obando, skills development lead, PPDP Phase II project

Tourism: service, language and digital skills

In the tourism sector, employers identified gaps in customer service, foreign languages and digital skills.

Around half of the employers surveyed reported operational challenges linked to poor service delivery. A similar proportion said digital marketing skills were among the hardest to find locally.

Employers also pointed to growing demand for language skills, including German, Mandarin and Spanish, as international visitors expect guides, front-desk staff and other tourism workers to communicate with a wider range of clients.

Digital skills are also becoming essential. Employers said workers need to be better prepared to use online travel platforms, smart tourism tools and data for decision-making.

The assessment also highlighted gender-related barriers in the sector. Tour guiding remains largely male-dominated, while women are more concentrated in curio retail and often depend on tour drivers for access to customers.

Industrial attachments were another area of concern. Many placements are short, self-sourced and weakly supervised, limiting the practical experience that learners gain before entering the labour market.

Fodder: demand for specialized skills

In the fodder sector, the assessment found shortages in agronomy, irrigation and soil fertility skills. Employers also reported difficulties finding workers able to safely operate and maintain machinery such as balers, choppers and harvesters.

Weaknesses in silage-making, bale density and moisture testing were also identified. These skills are important for reducing feed losses and improving productivity.

The assessment found that while the sector has many casual workers and general mechanics, it lacks specialists in forage machinery, quality assurance and digital record-keeping.

Unlike other areas of agriculture, fodder has not had a dedicated curriculum in Kenya. Relevant content has usually been included within broader animal production or engineering courses.

Climate-smart agronomy emerged as a key future priority. Employers see it as critical to the sector’s development, but few local institutions currently provide training in this area.

© David Iloba / Pexels

© David Iloba / Pexels

Building stronger partnerships

Both assessments found strong interest from employers and enterprises in working more closely with training providers.

In tourism, many employers said they were willing to host interns more systematically and collaborate under a PPDP-facilitated framework.

In fodder, enterprises said attachments should be aligned with the production calendar, including harvesting, baling and ensiling periods. Some enterprises also indicated that they could contribute equipment, demonstration sites or trainers.

These findings suggest that employers are not only identifying skills gaps but are also ready to help address them.

The assessments underline the importance of starting curriculum reform with evidence from the labour market. By listening first to employers, workers, training providers, women and young people, training systems can better identify the skills that are actually needed at work.

This approach can help reduce the mismatch between training and employment, improve the relevance of technical and vocational education, and support young people to access decent work opportunities in growing sectors.

For the PPDP Phase II project, the findings reinforce the value of convening partners around evidence and supporting solutions that can be sustained by the market after the project ends.

About the project

• The International Labour Organization’s Public-Private Development Partnership (PPDP) Phase II project, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), works in Nakuru, Kajiado and Narok counties to promote inclusive, decent employment and productive livelihoods.
• The project brings together public institutions, private sector actors and communities to strengthen market systems in the fodder and tourism sectors, with a focus on creating better opportunities for women and young people.