CBET Records: What TVET Institutions in Kenya Need to Keep

A TVET institution running competency-based education and training (CBET) should keep, for every trainee and every unit of competency, the assessments done, who assessed them, the evidence collected, any industry involvement and the Competent / Not Yet Competent decision. Keep those records up to date after each assessment and organised so that anyone verifying them can follow a trainee's progress without asking for help.

Why CBET records matter more than marks

In a marks-based course, one exam score can stand for a whole subject. In CBET, a trainee is judged competent unit by unit, from evidence gathered over the course: observed practicals, projects, written work and reports from the workplace. If the evidence is missing or cannot be found, the decision cannot be checked, however good the training was.

That is why verification focuses on records. TVET CDACC has announced external verification of candidates' portfolios of evidence ahead of its assessment series, and has told institutions to expect checks at any stage of training, not only before final assessment (see the sources at the end of this guide).

What to keep for each trainee

Whatever system you use, aim to be able to show these for every trainee:

• The units they are taking, with the learning outcomes and performance criteria for each.
• Every assessment: the date, the unit and outcome it covered, the method (practical, oral, written, project) and the result.
• Who assessed it, and who verified the decision where your process includes internal verification.
• The evidence itself: photos or videos of practical work, marked checklists, written answers, project files and workplace reports.
• The decision per unit: Competent or Not Yet Competent, with any reassessment and its outcome.
• Attendance and industrial attachment, including the employer, the period and the supervisor's report.

Always check the assessment requirements for each occupation, which set out what a portfolio must contain for that course.

Keep continuous assessment records current

The most common problem is not missing training but late paperwork: scoresheets filled in weeks later from memory, or evidence stored on an assessor's phone. CDACC has said continuous assessment scoresheets must be updated after every formative assessment, using the prescribed templates. A simple rule helps:

1. Record the result on the day of the assessment.
2. Attach the evidence at the same time, not at the end of term.
3. Have a coordinator check weekly that every planned assessment has a record.

Record industry involvement properly

Where industry practitioners take part in assessments, or trainees are assessed during attachment, the record of that involvement belongs in each trainee's portfolio. Reports say CDACC expects it to be documented and filed for every candidate, not just mentioned. For attachment, keep the employer's details, the dates, the tasks done and the supervisor's assessment, signed or otherwise confirmed by the supervisor.

Be ready for verification at any time

Treat every week as if a verifier might visit. In practice that means:

• Each trainee's portfolio is complete up to the current point of training.
• Files are organised the same way for every trainee, by unit and outcome.
• Assessors know their decisions and can explain them; reports say assessors are expected to be present during verification.
• A named coordinator can produce any trainee's records quickly.

Institutions that were not ready have seen candidates' evidence deferred to the next series, delaying their results, so readiness is worth the routine.

Paper, spreadsheets or a system

Paper portfolios work for small classes but are hard to search and easy to lose. Spreadsheets track results but not the evidence behind them. A system that keeps units, assessments, evidence and decisions together lets you see at a glance which trainees are behind and which assessments are missing records.

CDACC has also partnered with providers of electronic portfolio platforms. Check its latest circulars for what it currently requires or recommends before choosing how to submit portfolios.

This guide is general information about record-keeping. TVET CDACC's own circulars and assessment requirements are the authority; check them for your occupations and assessment series.

Sources

1. TVET CDACC launches PoE verification ahead of July/August assessments (Education News)
2. TVET CDACC sets dates for external verification of candidate portfolios (Education News)
3. TVET CDACC partners with TVET Prime to roll out a digital evidence portfolio system (Education News)

Written by the Soma360 team, who build college management software for Kenyan institutions. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.