On the 26th of January, 2024, the Technical University of Mombasa held an open day for the 2023 Form Four Graduates. Approximately 800 to 1000 young men and women from all walks of life flooded the Assembly hall. Some were coming from as far as Kilifi, Changamwe and Kwale Counties, curious about the institution. The MCA of Portreiz- Changamwe Constituency, Hon Fadhili, brought along a group of 70 youth from his ward to attend the open day. The event's main objectives were to provide the youth with career guidance and counselling and grant them an opportunity to interact and consult with experts from different fields.
The director of the Directorate of Career Services, Dr Madiha, warmly welcomed the eager youth and emphasized TUM's commitment to assist them in making the right career choices. The event was thereafter officially opened by the DVC ARE Professor Peter Gichangi who explained the brief history of TUM with a focus on the different schools, departments, and courses within the institution. Professor Gichangi also expressed how impressed and pleased he was with the number of young people who graced the open day, welcoming them to join the University.
KUCCPS (Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service) Mombasa Coordinator, Mrs Nawwar Hammad, and HELB (Higher Education Loans Board) representative, Mr Ezra Kei, were also present and gave brief speeches on their respective corporations. They explained the procedures for acquiring sponsorships and loans from the Government of Kenya. Mrs Nawwar emphasized the importance of doing in-depth research on courses and their marketability before the official opening of the KUCCPS portal which will allow the students to choose and register into different public universities. The attendees had an opportunity to engage and ask questions concerning the two Government bodies.
Thereafter, the Form Four graduates had an opportunity to interact one-on-one with the various department representatives who shared information on courses offered and responded to their queries. It was noted that a lot of interest was particularly shown in Engineering and Business courses, among others. The attendees were also taken on a campus tour by Counseling Psychology student volunteers from the Social Science Department.
A key insight by the TUM Directorate of Career Services was the lack of awareness and guidance on career paths. Most youth seemed lost and confused about their interests and passions. This highlighted the huge gap in career guidance and counselling among the youth, especially fresh Secondary school graduates.
Being the very first open day at the Technical University of Mombasa, the event was a huge success beyond expectations. The Director of Career Services, Dr Madiha, expressed her excitement to engage the youth further in the coming days.
