Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to find out the root causes for low achievement of TVET trainees in
COC assessment. Evidences taken from the ANRS COC office shows that most of the candidates
assessed were not successful. This initiated the researcher to conduct the study and identify the
main factors which hindered the trainees from being competent. The study, Factors for low
achievement of TVET trainees in center of competence assessment as perceived by stakeholders
was carried out in W/ro Siheen TVET College, Akesta and Adjibar TVET institutes on I 56
assessed trainees in construction and electricity/electronics .fields, 60 trainers from the selected
institutions in those fields and the 3 deans of the Assessment Center and 3 COC officials. The
non - probability sampling design specifically snowball sampling technique for trainees and
convenience sampling for the others, for the sake of easy accessibility, were used. Questionnaire,
interview and document analysis were employed as data gathering instruments. The reliability of
·the questionnaire was calculated by Compach Alpha method and it was found 0.879 (see
Appendix-S). The data obtained through the questionnaires were organized in tables and
analyzed quantitatively using percentage and the interview and documents were analyzed
qualitatively in description. Among the impediments for the failure of trainees in the COC
assessment, the findings indicate that inadequate number of qualified and competent trainers,
lack of the necessary training materials and other facilities so that no practical training was
given, mismatch between the training equipments and the assessment tools, time constraint for
the practical assessment, communication problem with the foreign assessors, and ineffectiveness
of the guidance and counseling services in the institutions were some of the serious problems
which contributed to the failure of the trainees in the COC assessment. It was suggested that
capacitating the TVET institutions with the necessary human resources especially, qualified and
competent trainers and material resources, recruiting well experienced and ethical assessors,
encouraging vocational guidance and counseling service in the institutions and encouraging the
COC assessment should have been given more attention.
