Building a Skilled and Inclusive Care Workforce in Kenya
11th September 2026 – This week, the WINGS Project – Work Inclusion, Growth & Sustainability, supported by the Italian Cooperation, took another important step towards strengthening a more inclusive, skilled and responsive care workforce in Kenya.
The project brought together the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), implementing partners and key stakeholders from the care and employment sectors for the validation of the new Homecare Assistant III curriculum, specifically developed to respond to the needs of Kenya’s domestic care market.
The curriculum validation process provided an important platform for stakeholders to review the proposed training framework, share practical insights and collectively assess how the curriculum can respond to the realities of Kenya’s evolving labour market.
At the heart of the exercise was a shared ambition: to strengthen the skills, professionalism and employability of people entering or working within the domestic care sector, while promoting quality care, dignity and decent work.
Connecting Training to the Realities of the Labour Market
For skills development to translate into meaningful employment opportunities, training must respond to the needs of both workers and the market.
The validation process therefore brought together diverse perspectives from the private sector, skills development institutions, organisations representing persons with disabilities and stakeholders with experience in the care-work sector.
Contributions from partners including the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), Emobilis Mobile Technology Training Academy, United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK) and KUDHEIHA, alongside other stakeholders in the care sector, helped bring practical experience and different perspectives into the curriculum development process.
This collaborative approach is central to the WINGS model: bringing together the people who understand the labour market, the institutions responsible for skills development, employers and the communities that stand to benefit from greater access to decent work.
Creating Pathways to Skills and Employment
The development and validation of the Homecare Assistant III curriculum represents an opportunity to strengthen the link between skills acquisition and employment pathways within Kenya’s domestic care market.
For women, youth and persons with disabilities, access to relevant, recognised and market-responsive skills can help open pathways to employment and sustainable livelihoods.
The curriculum development process also contributes to a broader shift towards recognising care work as an area that requires skills, competencies, responsibility and professional standards.
This is particularly important as Kenya responds to changing labour-market needs and the growing demand for quality care services within households and communities.
Inclusion at the Centre
Inclusion is a fundamental pillar of the WINGS Project.
By bringing together stakeholders with expertise in employment, private-sector engagement, skills development and disability inclusion, the curriculum validation process creates space to consider how training and employment pathways can become more accessible to people who are often excluded from economic opportunities.
The participation of United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK), alongside other partners, reinforces the importance of ensuring that skills and employment initiatives consider the needs and potential of persons with disabilities.
For WINGS, inclusion means more than participation in training. It means working towards pathways where people can gain relevant skills, access opportunities, earn sustainable livelihoods and participate meaningfully in the economy.
From Curriculum to Opportunity
A validated curriculum is an important foundation, but its ultimate value lies in what it enables.
The ambition is to support a stronger ecosystem in which training can connect to employment, professional development and sustainable livelihoods.
This requires continued collaboration among Government institutions, employers, training providers, development partners, workers and representative organisations.
The Homecare Assistant III curriculum is therefore part of a wider WINGS effort to strengthen the connections between skills, inclusion, employability and decent work.
Through this approach, the WINGS Project seeks to contribute to a care workforce that is better prepared to meet market needs while creating meaningful opportunities for women, youth and persons with disabilities.
Building Together
The validation exercise demonstrates the value of bringing different forms of expertise to the same table.
We extend our appreciation to NITA, KEPSA, Emobilis Mobile Technology Training Academy, United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK), KUDHEIHA and all stakeholders from the care-work sector for their valuable contributions, practical insights and commitment to advancing this initiative.
The WINGS Project is implemented through a partnership that brings together Fondazione L’Albero della Vita, CISP Africa and other Kenyan partners, with support from the Italian Cooperation.
Through collaboration, we are working to ensure that skills development is connected to real opportunities – and that those opportunities are increasingly inclusive, dignified and sustainable.