Education

Craft Certificate in Archives and Information Services

The Craft Certificate in Archives and Information Services is a KNEC Craft Certificate programme that trains students in archive operations, records management, and information services skills. The course is examined by KNEC and offered across accredited TVET institutions in Kenya. Students learn archive assistance, document preservation, records handling, cataloguing, filing, and user assistance.

The curriculum covers communication skills, information communication technology, entrepreneurship, and occupational safety. Core units include information services, archive assistance, document preservation, archive safety, basic records handling, user assistance, filing, basic cataloguing, and industrial attachment in an archive, library, or information centre.

Kenya's information management sector, including government archives, institutional records departments, libraries, and information centres, creates demand for certified archives and information services personnel. Government departments, educational institutions, NGOs, and corporate organisations require trained staff for archive operations and records management.

Training combines classroom theory with practical sessions in archive and library environments. Students practice document preservation, filing, cataloguing, records handling, and user assistance under supervised conditions. The programme includes industrial attachment in archives, libraries, or information centres where students apply their skills in real information management environments.

Graduates work as archive assistants, records management assistants, document handlers, filing clerks, and information services assistants in government archives, institutional records departments, libraries, and corporate organisations. The qualification provides a foundation for progression to Diploma in Archives and Information Sciences for specialised records and information management roles.

This programme is suitable for KCSE graduates with a mean grade of D (plain) who are interested in records and information management and seeking technical positions in archive and information service environments.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 67,189
Private, up to: Ksh 60,000
Job market: Moderate

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time
Attachment: 2 months
Average class: 25 students
Award: Certificate

What you study

8 subjects

Basic Records Handling
Filing
Basic Cataloguing
Document Preservation
Archive Assistance
Information Services
Safety
User Assistance

Modules

8 in the programme

Archive Safety
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Safety in archive environments including fire safety, disaster preparedness, and safe handling of archival materials.
Basic Records Handling
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Handling records and documents properly including filing, retrieval, classification, and safe document transport.
Filing
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Filing and organising documents including alphabetical, numerical, and chronological filing for efficient record retrieval.
Basic Cataloguing
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Basic cataloguing of archive materials including metadata creation, description, and classification of archival documents.
Document Preservation
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Basic preservation of documents including handling, storage, environmental control, and preventive conservation for archival materials.
Archive Assistance
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Assisting with archive operations including document retrieval, filing, preservation support, and basic archive management tasks.
Information Services
Year 3Semester 13 creditsCore
Basic information services to users including reference assistance, inquiry handling, and information retrieval for archive and library users.
User Assistance
Year 3Semester 26 creditsCore
Assisting users with archive access including registration, retrieval requests, and basic reference services for archive users.

Specialisations

Records Filing
Focus on filing operations including alphabetical and numerical filing, record organisation, and document retrieval systems.
Records Support
General records assistance including filing, retrieval, document handling, and basic records management for archive and information services.
Archive Support
General archive assistance including document retrieval, preservation support, and basic archive operations for information services.
Document Handling
Specialisation in document management including filing, classification, preservation, retrieval, and document control procedures.

A day as a student

Students spend most of their time in archives and records rooms — filing documents, handling records, basic cataloguing, preserving documents, and assisting with archive operations.

The trade offs

In its favour

Practical archive skills for immediate employment.
Records skills are needed in government and corporate sectors.
Foundation for progression to certificate and diploma.

Against it

Records work can be repetitive.
Less theoretical foundation than full certificate.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 243 education courses

Public67k to 67k

67k at Public TVET colleges67k at Public TVET colleges

Private20k to 60k

20k at St. Paul's University TVET (Nakuru)60k at Kabarak University TVET

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

TVET 67.2K/yr (jitimu.com). Pvt: St.Paul's 20-26K, Kabarak 60K/yr (spu.ac.ke, kabarak.ac.ke).

TVET government funding and HELB loans are available.

Funding options

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Funding
Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) - TVET Loans

Scholarships

4 recorded

National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF)
BursaryKenyan
Students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
TVET Funding
Government fundingKenyan
Kenyan citizens enrolled in accredited TVET institutions.
County Government Bursaries
BursaryKenyan
Residents of respective counties.
HELB TVET Loans
LoanKenyan
Kenyan citizens enrolled in accredited TVET institutions.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: KCSE Mean Grade D (Plain)
Alternative entry: Artisan Certificate in a relevant field or equivalent qualification.

How you are assessed

3 components

Archive Projects
Project30% of the mark
Completion of filing, cataloguing, and preservation tasks.
Competency-Based Practical Assessment
Practicum50% of the mark
TVET-CDACC competency assessment of practical archive skills.
Theory Assessment
Test20% of the mark
Written assessment of supporting archive knowledge.

Accreditation

Accredited by Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) and certified by TVET Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification Council (TVET-CDACC) under the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF). The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE), the statutory body responsible for quality assurance and regulation of university education in Kenya.

Accredited by

Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority
NationalRequired
Mandatory accreditation for all TVET institutions and programmes in Kenya.
TVET Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification Council
NationalRequired
Examining and certifying body for competency-based programmes under the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF).

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

4 roles

Archive Aide
Moderate demandKsh 30,000 to Ksh 55,000
Support archive operations.
Document Handler
Low demandKsh 26,000 to Ksh 48,000
Handle and manage documents.
Records Assistant
Moderate demandKsh 32,000 to Ksh 58,000
Support records management operations.
Filing Assistant
Moderate demandKsh 28,000 to Ksh 50,000
Support filing and document organisation.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates work as archive aides and records assistants in government departments, institutions, and corporate organisations across Kenya.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

This programme has limited career opportunities.
Graduates pursue diverse career paths across multiple sectors in Kenya and internationally.