Align education system with job market needs

Youth employment remains a major challenge despite various initiatives to tackle it. Several promises have been made but with mixed results.

Data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that some 900,000 young people join the labour market every year but just about 100,000 get absorbed. The issue is made worse by the fact that attrition in the formal job market is very high. And now, the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation.

Against this backdrop, yesterday’s launch of a Sh1.3 billion grant programme that will benefit some 750 young entrepreneurs was a major boost to the drive to empower this demographic of the population.

The programme, which was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta, also includes financial literacy to guide the entrepreneurs to manage their businesses.

Youth empowerment

In itself, the money being disbursed will make a difference in the lives of the recipients and have a multiplier effect in the economy. However, the key issue is proper management and constant monitoring. 

Some youth empowerment initiatives that were started before failed due to poor execution. We have to learn from the past to ensure we do things right this time round.

Fortunately, the way the current project was conceived and managed, under the Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Programme, has several safety nets, including mentorship, that should guarantee its success.

It is essential to note that the programme is being launched at a time when the country is going through transformation of its education, rolling out the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) that puts emphasis on skills. At the tertiary level, the focus is on technical training.