Training for academic staff in middle level colleges and effects on performance: case of the Mombasa Polytechnic

Abstract

Vocational and technical training is key in Kenya economy where only a small fraction of those leaving form four are able to get chances in the universities. The vocational training institutions play a very importance role for training skilled manpower for both the private and public sectors. The institutions are very crucial in training students in appropriate vocational attitudes, initiative thinking and skills that offer linkages with the labor market. However the quality of their graduates has been attracting a lot of criticisms from professional bodies and government departments as cited later in the research proposal. Some of the causes of the poor quality of graduates being attributed to the performance ability of the training personnel. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the performance of the academic staff in tertiary institutions not just for comparative purposes but with a view of recommending solutions. The study was a case of the Mombasa Polytechnic which had nine (9) academic departments with a workforce of 165 academic staff. This was key to the institutions for it was useful in revitalizing their functioning to enable them reflect quality and relevance. The literature review centers on the role of the middle level colleges, the performance, literature theories on performance and empirical evidence on similar research elsewhere. This enabled the researcher to identify some performance gaps that need to be addressed. Chapter three outlines the research design and methodology used. The research design used was both descriptive and exploratory in nature. The population under study was the academic staff at the Mombasa Polytechnic. Data was collected using questionnaires which were administered by the researcher with the help of a research assistant. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as the measures of central tendencies with the help of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS).