Financial Capability and Asset Building Curriculum for Social Work Students in the Kenyan Technical and Vocational Training Education System

Introduction: Across the country, Kenyan social workers are at the forefront of poverty mitigation and alleviation efforts. While Kenya boasts innovative technological tools that have facilitated the financial inclusion of once marginalized populations, low rates of financial knowledge and financial management skills continue to heighten these groups’ risks to predatory financial practices. Social workers’ localized reach makes them especially well placed to address such knowledge gaps at the grassroots level. Their interaction with individuals, families, and communities experiencing socioeconomic and financial exclusion offers them the opportunity to conduct financial education and training. However, research indicates that social work students graduating from Kenyan institutions often lack the preparation, knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to tackle clients' increasingly complex financial problems.

Discussion: Focusing on Technical and Vocational Training Education (TVET) colleges, this present paper provides a critical review of the gaps inherent in the current curriculum in equipping students with the tools needed to foster financial well-being. Technical and Vocational Training Education institutes are mid-level colleges that offer certificate and diploma courses designed to contribute to the overall well-being of the local communities within which they are domiciled. Multiple public and private actors including several semi-autonomous governmental agencies are responsible for setting the accreditation, and curriculum standards in these institutions. The principal argument of this paper is that the current social work curriculum at the TVET level requires a systematic renewal to make it responsive to the pressing financial needs of local communities. We draw on the Financial Capability Framework and Social Development Theory to guide our theoretical arguments.

Conclusion: We propose three overarching curricula goals (i.e., money management, financial capabilities, and asset building), and recommend learning outcomes and measurable competencies aligned with the lived realities of social work students and the clients they serve. Our recommendations argue for a responsive curriculum that centers Kenya’s regional diversity and takes into consideration local community needs. This, even as we acknowledge the complexities inherent in managing a curriculum (re)development process where multiple public and private stakeholders exert considerable influence