Key takeaways
- CBET (Competency-Based Education and Training) measures what a trainee can do, not how long they sat in class.
- Every CBET programme starts from Occupational Standards: industry-written descriptions of what a competent worker does.
- Trainees are assessed against performance criteria and recorded as Competent or Not Yet Competent.
- In Kenya, TVET CDACC develops curricula and assesses, TVETA regulates institutions and KNQA runs the qualifications framework.
- For trainers, CBET means a clear chain of documents: Learning Plan → Session Plans → Record of Work → notes → assessments.
If you train in a Kenyan TVET institution, you've heard "CBET" in every staff meeting, workshop and audit. But what does it actually mean, where did it come from, and how does it change the way you plan, teach and assess? This guide explains CBET from the ground up, in plain language, so that everything else (the Learning Plan, the Session Plan, the Record of Work) makes sense.
CBET in one sentence
Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) is an approach to training where a learner progresses by demonstrating that they can perform specific workplace tasks to an agreed standard, rather than by completing a fixed number of hours or passing one final exam.
Put simply, traditional training asks "Did the trainee attend and pass the exam?" CBET asks "Can the trainee actually do the job, to the standard industry expects, under real working conditions?" That one change of question reshapes everything: how curricula are written, how trainers plan lessons, how workshops are used, and how trainees are assessed and certified.
What "competency" actually means
A competency is the ability to perform a task to the required standard in the workplace. It is never just knowledge. A competent person brings together three things:
- Knowledge: understanding the facts, principles and theory behind the task (for example, Ohm's law for an electrician).
- Skills: being able to physically or mentally carry out the task (for example, correctly wiring and testing a circuit).
- Attitudes: working safely, accurately, ethically and with care for the customer, colleagues and the environment.
A trainee who can explain how to change a car tyre but cannot do it safely is not yet competent. Equally, a trainee who changes the tyre but ignores the safety procedures is not yet competent either. CBET looks for all three together, applied to a real task.
A useful way to think about it
In CBET, the question behind every lesson and every assessment is: "What will the trainee be able to do at the end of this, and how will I see it?" If you can answer that clearly, you are planning the CBET way.
Why Kenya moved to CBET
For many years, TVET in Kenya was largely time-based and exam-based: trainees followed a fixed syllabus for a set period and sat a written national exam at the end. Employers increasingly reported a gap between the certificates graduates held and what they could actually do on the job. Graduates could pass papers but often needed significant retraining before they were productive.
CBET was adopted to close that gap. Its main aims are to:
- Link training directly to jobs. Curricula are built from Occupational Standards written with industry, so what is taught is what employers need.
- Certify real ability. A certificate means the holder has been assessed doing the work, not only writing about it.
- Make qualifications comparable and portable by placing them on the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF).
- Recognise skills however they were learned, including through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for people who learned on the job.
- Put the trainee at the centre, with more practice, more feedback and the chance to be reassessed until competent.
Who runs CBET in Kenya
Several bodies share responsibility for CBET. Knowing who does what helps you understand where your curriculum, your assessments and your institution's rules come from.
| Body | Full name | What it does in CBET |
|---|---|---|
| TVET CDACC | TVET Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council | Develops competency-based curricula and Occupational Standards with industry, and assesses and certifies trainees. |
| TVETA | Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority | Licenses, registers and quality-assures TVET institutions and their programmes. |
| KNQA | Kenya National Qualifications Authority | Maintains the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF) that sets the level of each qualification, and oversees recognition of prior learning. |
| Ministry | The ministry responsible for TVET | Sets national TVET and CBET policy and funding. |
| Industry | Employers and sector experts | Help define the Occupational Standards and host trainees for industrial attachment. |
| Institutions | National polytechnics, technical training institutes, vocational training centres | Deliver the training, run continuous (internal) assessment and keep the records: learning plans, session plans, records of work and portfolios. |
How a CBET programme is structured
Every CBET programme follows the same hierarchy. Once you see it, every document you write slots into place, because each document simply works at one level of this ladder.
- Qualificatione.g. a Certificate or Diploma in a trade, placed at a KNQF level (TVET qualifications typically sit around levels 3 to 6).
- ModulesThe qualification is delivered in stages (Module I, II, III…), each a group of units.
- Units of competencyThe individually assessable "chunks" of the job, such as Apply Basic Electronics. Units are classed as basic, common or core.
- ElementsThe main tasks that make up a unit, e.g. Identify electrical circuits.
- Performance criteriaThe measurable standard for each element, e.g. Types of electrical circuits are identified with examples. This is what assessment checks.
Two official documents describe each unit, and you will use both constantly:
- The Occupational Standard (OS) says what a competent worker must do: the unit's elements, performance criteria, range of contexts, required knowledge and skills, and an evidence guide for assessment.
- The Curriculum (CU) says how it is trained: the unit's learning outcomes, content for each outcome, duration in hours, suggested delivery methods, suggested assessment methods and recommended resources.
Read CBET terms explained for a full glossary of these terms with examples.
Where to get them
Curricula and Occupational Standards are published by TVET CDACC. CBET Planner's free CU/OS Downloads page helps you find the official documents for your unit.
What changes in the classroom
CBET changes the trainer's role from "the person who delivers content" to "the person who facilitates practice and verifies competence." In practice that looks like this:
- More doing, less dictating. Sessions are built around demonstrations, guided practice, group tasks and real jobs, with theory taught where the task needs it. See active learning in CBET.
- Clear outcomes for every session. Each lesson states what trainees will be able to do by the end, and checks it before trainees leave.
- Continuous feedback. Trainees are checked throughout, not just at the end of term, and gaps are fixed early.
- Realistic settings. Workshops, labs, simulations and industrial attachment matter as much as the classroom.
- Evidence of everything. Because competence must be shown, trainers keep evidence: plans, records of work, assessment tools and trainees' portfolios.
How trainees are assessed
CBET assessment is criterion-referenced. Trainees are not ranked against each other or given a percentage. Each trainee is measured against the performance criteria in the Occupational Standard and the result is either:
- Competent (C): the trainee met every required criterion, or
- Not Yet Competent (NYC): the trainee has not yet met one or more criteria, gets further training and practice, and is reassessed.
Evidence usually combines written assessments (for knowledge), practical assessments observed with a checklist (for skills and attitudes), oral questioning, projects and a portfolio of evidence. Institutions run continuous internal assessment through the term, and CDACC runs the assessment that leads to national certification. The full picture is in competency-based assessment in TVET.
What CBET means for a trainer's paperwork
Because every lesson and every assessment must trace back to a unit's performance criteria, CBET documentation forms a chain. Each document is built from the one before it:
- Curriculum + Occupational Standard
The source documents for the unit: outcomes, content, hours, elements and performance criteria.
- Learning Plan
The whole term for one unit, week by week and session by session. What is a Learning Plan?
- Session Plans
A detailed plan for each individual lesson, usually in the BOPPPS format. What is a Session Plan?
- Record of Work Covered
The dated record of what was actually taught. What is a Record of Work?
- Trainee notes
Learning material organised around the unit's outcomes. CBET notes for trainees
- Assessment tools
Written papers, practical tasks, checklists and marking schemes that test the performance criteria. Competency-based assessment
This is the workload most trainers find heaviest: not the teaching, but producing and formatting all of these documents for every unit, every term, in the template your institution uses. It's exactly the work CBET Planner was built to take off your desk.
CBET vs traditional training at a glance
| Aspect | Traditional training | CBET |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A subject syllabus | Occupational Standards written with industry |
| Progression | Time served / term completed | Competence demonstrated |
| Assessment | Mostly a final written exam | Continuous, practical + written, against criteria |
| Result | Marks, grades, rankings | Competent / Not Yet Competent |
| Trainer's role | Lecturer and examiner | Facilitator, coach and assessor |
| Learning setting | Mostly classroom | Workshop, lab, simulation and workplace |
| Planning documents | Scheme of work and lesson notes | Learning Plan, Session Plans, Record of Work, assessment tools, portfolios |
Common misconceptions about CBET
"CBET means no theory."
Not true. Theory is still essential, but it is taught because a task needs it, and it is assessed alongside practice. Every Occupational Standard lists the required knowledge for its unit.
"Not Yet Competent means failed."
No. NYC means "not there yet". The trainee is shown the gap, practises, and is reassessed. That is a core feature of CBET, not a failure of it.
"CBET is just new paperwork."
The paperwork exists to make training traceable: anyone should be able to follow a line from a performance criterion to the session that taught it, the record that shows it was taught, and the assessment that proved it. Done well, the documents help you teach better. Done by hand, they take a lot of time, which is why tools exist to help.
Where to go next
Now that you know what CBET is, the next step is learning the vocabulary used in every curriculum and Occupational Standard. Continue with Part 2: CBET terms explained, or jump straight to how to create a Learning Plan.
Frequently asked questions
What does CBET stand for?
CBET stands for Competency-Based Education and Training. It is the approach Kenya's TVET sector uses, where trainees progress by showing they can perform real workplace tasks to a set standard, rather than by spending a fixed amount of time in class or passing a single exam.
Who is in charge of CBET in Kenya?
Several bodies share the work. TVET CDACC develops competency-based curricula and assesses and certifies trainees, TVETA licenses and quality-assures TVET institutions, KNQA maintains the Kenya National Qualifications Framework, and the Ministry responsible for TVET sets national policy. Industry experts help write the Occupational Standards.
Is CBET graded with marks or percentages?
No. CBET assessment is criterion-referenced. A trainee is judged against the performance criteria in the Occupational Standard and is recorded as Competent or Not Yet Competent. A trainee who is Not Yet Competent gets more practice and is reassessed.
What documents does a CBET trainer need to prepare?
For each unit a trainer typically prepares a Learning Plan for the whole term, a Session Plan for each lesson, a Record of Work Covered, trainee notes, and assessment tools such as written papers, practical tasks, observation checklists and marking schemes.
Is CBET only for technical courses?
No. CBET is used across TVET programmes, from engineering, ICT and agriculture to hospitality, health and business. Every programme is built from Occupational Standards for real jobs, so the same principles apply whatever the trade.