The school was opened in 1994 with 3 courses and 60 students. Currently there are 10 courses and 750 students annually. Our former students are now thousands, working in many different factories, garages, enterprises and offices, or self employed. Many of them have great responsibilities in their places of work. And all are very grateful for what they have learnt in St Kizito. Bellow are a few witnesses from students and a volunteer.
1) Lillian Murugi
I joined St kizito vti in August through the sponsorship of Simba Foundation. This program took me two years to complete. It was partly done in the school and industry. This helped me and my fellow students a lot since we were able to get hands on training through the automotive trade technology growth. In school I was able to learn part of automotive engineering, of which the experience was incredible. Teachers were very enthusiastic following us even when attached in the company, making sure that the syllabus was well covered, and giving us the soft skills required for the indusry. Simba colt provided safety gears and tool boxes for better training in school.
I was attached in Simba colt motors throughout the program where i was helped by managers, supervisors and technical team in the departments; Mitsubishi, BMW and heavy commercial department where I dealt with a wide range of vehicles. During this period I was able to cover my grade exams successfully (i.e Grade III, II and I) under National Industrial Training Authority. I was able to learn work & time management. The technology growth in me was prodigious during my attachment, by the the time i was through with the dual training program (DTS) I was ready for work. Dual Training is hands on training which gave me experience that made me a qualified technician, the sensation that companies out there are looking for. Immediately I started looking for a job or another attachment for perfection in many companys’ around Nairobi.After a months time I got a job at control-tech limited in Kenya garage vehicle industries (KGVI) as a technical advisor.
I can say with certainity that the DTS program is the best idea and many companys’ and institutions should emulate the same. I really like to thank Simba foundation and St kizito for the partnership which made me to be who I am today.
2) Witness of Benson Jackson
After completion of my high school I was not able to get a chance at the university [because I couldn’t afford] I thought that all was lost and I would not make it in life so I went and worked at several construction sites “mjengo”. It was not as easy as I thought. Some people would tell me to use drugs for survival. Later on I heard about St. Kizito through friends who were studying there.
The first person I met at St. Kizito told me “you can either make your life or destroy it”. I went back home and shaved my dreadlocks and came back ready to study electrical installation. I was still addicted to drugs at the time. I almost destroyed my life and my career when I was caught smoking bhang by one of the teachers at the school compound with my friends during lunch hour. The school Director was very angry with us and ordered us to clear with the school and never come back. My parents were not happy with me and I prayed to God to have mercy on me. Few days later the director called us back to school accompanied by our parents, this time it was about making a new beginning and quitting drug abuse in school and at home.
I thank the director for giving me a second chance to go on with my career. Later I met friends in my class who were so encouraging for me to love life and live in the right way. They introduced me to the Communion and Liberation (CL) a Catholic movement, where people share their life experiences and become more aware of their humanity. It is through the movement that I was able to grow my faith. Thanks to the school we have a chapel where every morning we pray together before starting the lessons. St. Kizito is truly a gift to us. Later I was baptized and I was able to discover more about Christ in my life. Through the school we have acquired skills that will enable us to start our own businesses or even get employed by companies because we really have what they need. St. Kizito has been a gift to me and I believe to many others.
3) Jane Jepkirui
I joined St Kizito Vocational Training Institute in 2016 to pursue my dream course in Automotive Engineering under Dual Training System (DTS) programe.
I was trained and passed well both in Motor Vehicle Mechanic and Motor Vehicle Electrical. During the training we completed the syllabus early and worked on all practical enabling us to sit for exams with confidence. We were lucky to be provided with tools which really contributed to our success because we familiarized with the tools and understood how to use them in the tasks. During DTS program I have worked on different types of vehicles in my internship. I have worked in different garages and with a group of mobile mechanics giving me experience that makes me successful in whatever job I do.
Now I can say with confidence that I have experience on a wide range of vehicles on my own and in a team.
4) Teresia
My name is Teresia Muchiri and I manage a company known as Electronics and Transmissions, where we install satellite dishes and internet connections. I am the manager and technician in the company. St Kizito VTI has made me who I am today. I feel proud because the school gave me a head start. It prepared me to the real world of work. The school does not prepare you just for education but also to grow as a human person. I started working as a trainee in a certain company but now I am in-charge of 15 employees, some of them with a degree certificate.
The method of education at St. Kizito VTI is what brings out this difference and that is why I encourage others to join and start the journey to a great future.
5) Witness from Claudio (volunteer)
In January 2011 together with some colleagues, also teaching at the “Patronato San Vincenzo Professional School” in Bergamo, Italy, we were invited to visit St. Kizito V.T.I to verify a possible collaboration between the two Institutes. In July 2011 I started my first mission in St. Kizito, where in agreement with the lecturers I started reviewing the laboratories including new pieces of equipment and giving time to Teacher Training on the new technologies. In the following years I have continued with training teachers holding courses for teachers and technicians from other schools and I started courses for internal students. At the programmable logic controllers (PLC) laboratory in the following years we put up Domotic systems (home automation) and Solar systems for educational purposes .The computer room was renovated with new PCs, multimedia classrooms were created and a new teaching method was introduced using computer, video projector and internet connection.
Recently a laboratory has been completed with panels for the construction of civil installations and one for industrial automation systems. Each time I return to Italy, the happiness of hugging again my wife and children goes hand in hand with the nostalgia of having finished the mission in St. Kizito and for leaving behind so many true friends.
All of this doesn't last long though, because after a short time I start thinking about the new mission!
In fact, we are not only concerned about technical training of our students, but also to educate the person in all his/her dimensions. This human formation is realized through the technical training and the daily human relationships.
In these last years, we have been one of the first institutes in Kenya to propose “Dual Training System” (DTS) where students are trained in the schools and in companies.
In 2018 we were chosen by the Ministry of Education to start CBET Courses (Competency Based Trainings) , and to pilot this new program.
Many companies, enterprises, garages, organizations are involved in DTS training and in CBET Courses: many times offering also sponsorships or HELB loans to the needy students. 90% of our students get employment either in the formal or informal sectors. Some are holding big positions in companies. This is due to the quality of the long lasting practical training in our laboratories and the soft skills training.
6) Moses Kariuki
On the current E-learning on Google suite Moses wrote the following;
"..am happy that at least even if we are at home we can still access the teaching from home...the platform is of much help and congratulations."
We have also seen an increase of students who are trying their level best to stay connected in order to learn and believe that if they're supported then we can have all our students on board.