President Uhuru Kenyatta has said that the government has set aside sh 30 billion to enhance vocational training and skills development for the youth.

According to Uhuru, having a human resource that has the appropriate technical skills is crucial for the country to achieve its objectives under the Big 4 Agenda.

“It is in this context that my government is laying heavy emphasis on vocational training. We have set aside Sh30 billion for this purpose in the next three years under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVETs), NYS, and Polytechnics,” said President Kenyatta on Thursday when he commissioned the 10,000 Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) 2jiajiriprogramme class of 2018 at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

Uhuru also said that the government is collaborating with the private sector under the ‘Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project’ to provide internships to support youth to acquire the prerequisite experience that employers and businesses require.

FKE SKILLS MISMATCH REPORT

The Federation of Kenya Employees (FKE) released a report this week, citing a widening mismatch in jobs among graduates in the country.

According to the 2018 Skills Mismatch Report, Degree holders are scrambling for low paying jobs and in most companies, they have taken up positions meant for diploma and certificate holders such as clerical and receptionist positions.

The survey shows that 39 percent of degree holders in the surveyed firms work as clerical officers, 30 percent as secretaries, 20 percent as receptionists and nine percent as casual laborers. Office messengers, security and drivers tied at five percent.

“Postgraduate degree holders are also ending up in jobs way below their competencies, further compounding the wastage of training resources. “A lot of money is being spent educating a masters degree student who ends up doing a job that can be done by someone else with lower skills. As a nation, we are wasting a lot of resources in education,” said FKE Executive Director Jacqueline Mugo.

The report surveyed 292 organisations drawn from all sectors including; drawn from all sectors, including manufacturing, public administration, service, ICT, real estate, shipping, education and health and social work.

SHORTAGE OF TECHNICAL WORKERS IN KENYA

Unemployment continues to be a big challenge in the country but did you know that there are actually some job opportunities in the country but no suitable candidates for the jobs?

There is a huge demand for skilled technical workers in Kenya but a massive shortfall between that and the supply of trained electricians, plumbers, mechanics and construction workers which has resulted in many thousands of these jobs going to imported skilled labour, particularly from China and India.

Labour Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani recently called on county governments and businesses to set aside more funds for technical and vocational training to help reduce youth unemployment.