Kenya Universities and Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has created 72 centres across the country to assist Form Four leavers applying for university and TVET courses.
The centres spread across universities, polytechnics, technical institutes and vocational colleges will assist the applicants on processes and also offer career guidance tips.
The centres were set up from April 13 and will remain open throughout the application period closing on May 6. The applications opened on April 7.
Form Four graduates are applying for degree, diploma, certificate and artisan study opportunities that target people who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam from year 2000.
However, degree programmes across 43 public universities and 38 private ones are restricted to last year’s cohort of the KCSE test.
Last year, 993,226 sat for the annual exam that is the ticket to higher learning and about 270,000 qualified for direct university studies from September this year.
Career guidance and navigation of the KUCCPS placement process have been giving candidates and their families nightmares, making it a brilliant idea to create the help centres.
Although career guidance is a complex process, candidates have been relying on their former teachers and schools for the right steps to take. Without knowing the danger they are possibly exposing themselves to, the Form Four leavers have also relied on cyber cafe attendants and operators to choose a course, creating a gambling situation with their future.
Some top senior schools, probably Cluster One or Two institutions, have guidance and counselling teachers who guide the learners on career choices throughout their four years in school. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of schools lack guidance and counselling programmes that could expose their students to picking courses and making decisions about their careers in a fast-changing world.
KUCCPS allows picking of six courses at universities with the first three falling under one programme, labelled as 1a, b, and c being the dream courses.
Choosing these dream courses under different universities aims at benefiting from varied cluster points, offering more headroom for the young people seeking a life in certain professions.
While medicine, law, commerce, pharmacy, and engineering have been the traditional marketable courses, the world is increasingly embracing skills, opening up the search for top courses to others previously unknown or new ones the Commission for University Education releases yearly.
The search for skills and employability have seen some Form Four leavers drop university chances for diploma or certificate courses.
Yearly when KUCCPS releases placement results, the number of applicants shunning degree training has been rising, revealing the rise in career and jobs search awareness.
Applications attract a fee of Sh1,500 that is paid to the placement agency that is headquartered at ACK Garden House in Nairobi Community Area.
Applicants can also be assisted at the head office and huduma centres across the country, KUCCPS said.
Every placement cycle, covering the applications, course revision, and transfer window, take an average three months, an elaborate process that ensures as many people as possible get access to their dream courses and launch their career journey.
