Kenya Industrial Training Institute

Kenya Industrial Training Institute (KITI) is a training Institute under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives situated in Nakuru town.

KITI offers Industrial and Entrepreneurship skills training for school leavers and skills upgrading for industrial workers and employees from SMEs & SMIs.

The Institute is also partnering with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), CDF committees and KCB Foundation to train employees from Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Small & Medium Industries (SMIs) in Clothing and Textiles, Welding and Fabrication, Foundry Technology, Automotive, Building and Construction, Electrical and Electronics, Food and Beverage, Leather and Tannery and Entrepreneurship.

The Institute is well equipped with state of the art training facilities/ equipment including a modern and registered medical facility with qualified medical staff offering medical and counseling services to the trainees.

Kenya Industrial Training Institute (KITI) is the only Government Department under the Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise Development offering training.

KITI offers training in areas such as Clothing and Textiles, Wielding and Fabrication, Foundry Technology, Automotive, Building Construction, Electrical and Electronics, Food and Beverages, Leather and Tannery ICT and Entrepreneurship.

In addition to providing tailor-made courses according to the market needs, KITI also offers curriculum for KNEC (Kenya National Examinations Council) and NITA (National Industrial Training Authority) certification. The training levels, therefore, range from short courses to diploma depending on the needs of the client.

The institute has 8 training departments most of which have adequate training space in the form of workshops and classrooms. These departments are:-

1. Mechanical Engineering
2.  Building and Construction
3. Electrical and Electronics Engineering
4. Leather Technology
5. Fashion Design and Clothing Technology
6. Foods and Beverage vii. Information Communications Technology
7. Business Management and Entrepreneurship

Why study at Kenya Industrial Training Institute

Kenya Industrial Training Institute offers training in areas such as Clothing and Textiles, Welding and Fabrication, Foundry Technology, Automotive, Building Construction, Electrical and Electronics, Food and Beverages, Leather & Tannery and Entrepreneurship.  In addition to providing tailor-made courses, KITI also offers curriculum for KNEC (Kenya National Examinations Council) and NITA (National Industrial Training Authority) certification.

Kenya Industrial Training Institute's main objective is to train artisans, craftsmen, technicians, engineering graduates, engineers and entrepreneurs to work in the existing industries and for self-employment; train middle level managers for the industrial sector and to carry out research in projects and products that would accelerate rural industrialization.

While maintaining its mandate, the institute has continued to adjust its programs in order to respond to the changing needs of the market hence making the courses offered remain market-driven. Such market-driven courses include training in solar water heating and solar lighting and manufacture of organic fertilizer which have been introduced in the institute in the recent past due to the changing market needs.

The teaching staff in KITI is well qualified and has the capacity to offer high-quality training in various areas. A student who enrolls for any course in KITI is therefore assured of acquiring high-level skills.

Kenya Industrial Training Institute - History

Kenya Industrial Training Institute was established in 1965 with the support of the Japanese Government. Initially, the institute was located in a 3-acre piece of land in Nakuru’s Industrial Area.

However, due to the need for expansion, it was re-located to a 40-acre piece of land along Nakuru – Solai road, 3kms from Nakuru town.

KITI was mandated to give trainees hands-on training in technical skills with a strong component of entrepreneurship skills for self-employment.

The objectives are to train artisans, craftsmen, technicians, engineering graduates, engineers and entrepreneurs to work in the existing industries and for self-employment; train middle level managers for the industrial sector and to carry out research in projects and products that would accelerate rural industrialization.

Over the years, the institute has kept to her mandate of training even though there have been adjustments in the training programs in order to respond to the changing needs of the customers. One such need was driven by the demand for nationally recognised certification for purposes of employment. This led to mounting training programs examined by bodies such as Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) in addition to giving the desired hands-on training.

The training programs vary between three months and three years. However, the institute also offers shorter courses for specific groups or clients (tailor-made courses to meet client’s training requirements).