By Prosper Makene
The National Institute of Transport (NIT)’s academic staff will, in May, attend a staff exchange programme at Kenya Coast National Polytechnic (KCNP) in Mombasa, Kenya, according to the Centre of Excellence in Aviation and Transport Operations (CEATO) Project Industrial Liaison Officer, Ms. Sarah Mwakyusa.
It is expected that the NIT academic staff in the exchange programme will undertake a range of assignments at Kenya Coast National Polytechnic College including teaching, special lectures, demonstrations and research.
“We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kenya Coast National Polytechnic (KCNP) so as to implement staff exchange, Students mobility and joint research to mention few,” said Ms. Mwakyusa.
Students of Cabin Crew Certification from Kenya Aviation College (KAC) who pursued the course at NIT with NIT Staff at NIT Mabibo Campus.
Ms. Mwakyusa further said that facilitating staff and students’ mobility through exchange programs is an important pillar in enhancing regional integration in Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) and project coordination.
She underscored that the Institute has also attached more than 40 staff in different industries/organizations within the country so as to familiarize staff with the trend of technology used in the industries.
While NIT staff are set for KCNP’s exchange programme, about 22 students from KCNP graduated with Certificate in Cargo Tallying for International Shipping at NIT.
Meanwhile, Ms. Mwakyusa pointed out that the signing of MoUS between NIT and industries/institutions is important to form the mutual partnerships needed in curriculum development and staff industrial attachment.
Furthermore she said that through the signed MoU with Kenya Aeronautical College (KAC), NIT-CoEATO received 10 students from KAC for the mobility programme. The students will attain Cabin Crew Category III Certificate from Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority upon completion of their training.
These MoU are beneficial to the two sided Institution as recently the Institute sent 22 Students from Transport Engineering and Technology Department to KCNP to pursue a one month course in Solar Photovoltaic (PV) and Solar Water heating.
“The Institute managed to sign about 22 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) between 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 financial years and each MoU was attached with its respective action plan. Some of the recent MoU signed with Dar es Salaam Merchant Group (DMG), Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) and Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA) and Global Communities.,” she said.
Staff Exchange and Students mobility Programmes are part of the implementation of East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP), a five-year project funded by the World Bank whereby Governments of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania are beneficiaries.
The Writer works with Public Relations Department at NIT