What is CBET?
Competency-Based Education and Training, explained for Kenyan TVET trainers in five minutes.
CBET in one sentence
CBET is training where a trainee progresses by showing they can do a real workplace task to an agreed standard, not by sitting a set number of hours or passing one final exam.
| Traditional training asks… | CBET asks… |
|---|---|
| Did the trainee attend and pass the exam? | Can the trainee actually do the job, to the industry standard, under real conditions? |
The building blocks
Every CBET document maps onto the same ladder, from the whole job down to what's assessed:
Occupational Standard (OS)
Written with industry and published by TVET CDACC. It says what a competent worker must be able to do.
Units of competency
Assessable parts of the job, such as Apply Basic Electronics, classed as basic, common or core.
Elements
The main tasks within a unit, e.g. Identify electrical circuits.
Performance criteria
The measurable standard for each element. This is what assessment checks.
Curriculum
How the unit is trained: learning outcomes, content, hours, methods and resources.
Your documents
Learning Plan → Session Plans → Record of Work → notes → assessments, all traced back to the unit.
How trainees are assessed
CBET assessment is criterion-referenced. Each trainee is judged against the performance criteria, never ranked against classmates. The result is one of two:
Competent (C)
The evidence shows every required criterion is met.
Not Yet Competent (NYC)
Not there yet. The trainee gets more practice on the gaps and is reassessed.
Who runs CBET in Kenya
| Body | Role |
|---|---|
| TVET CDACC | Develops competency-based curricula and Occupational Standards with industry, and assesses and certifies trainees. |
| TVETA | Licenses and quality-assures TVET institutions and programmes. |
| KNQA | Maintains the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF) that sets each qualification's level. |
| Institutions | Deliver training, run continuous assessment and keep the records. |
Kenya moved to CBET because employers found graduates could pass exams but struggled to do the actual job. CBET ties every qualification to demonstrated, industry-relevant skill.
Put CBET documentation on autopilot
Generate OS-aligned learning plans, session plans, records of work, assessments and notes.