Youth from the Mukurweini constituency are set to receive technical vocational skills training from KCB Foundation following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the foundation and the constituency, which will see the Constituency match a shilling for a shilling to facilitate students who will be joining polytechnics within their locality.
The KShs. 10 million training will see youth receive classroom training for 3-6 months, after which they will sit for the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) Grade 3 assessment. Consequently, they will be linked to jobs & internships through the county labour-based program.
The youth will be trained under KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri programme, which seeks to support unemployed and out-of-school youth to gain technical skills and employment in the job market. The training also includes entrepreneurial and financial management skills training and startup, working capital and asset financing for the businesses they set up.
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Speaking on the partnership, the Head of KCB Foundation, Caroline Wanjeri noted that
“2jiajiri is KCB’s youth empowerment programme, that provides youth not only with vocational and technical skills training but also business development support, as well as access to capital and mentorship to enable them to set up enterprises.”
This is part of the KCB Foundation’s efforts in catalysing economic growth by tackling youth unemployment at grassroots levels by supporting the creation of small and medium enterprises through youth vocational skills training.
“By working in partnership with accredited institutions, we’re ensuring that the youth have the right technical capacity to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the market. In the second phase, they will receive technical, capital and business management support from KCB’s micro bankers” She added.
On his part, Mukurwe-ini member of parliament John Kaguchia noted,
“We’re targeting about 1,000 young people initially to empower them by taking them to polytechnics and technical institutions so they can get skills to support themselves. We will use the allocated CDF funds from the National government to ensure that we build the youth capacity so they can also fend for themselves.”
Specifically, the youth will receive technical training in agribusiness, automotive engineering, beauty and personal care, building and construction and domestic services.
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KCB launched 2jiajiri in 2016, a programme that seeks to formalize the informal sector and skill for self-employment targeting the youth and small businesses. It focuses on growing youth micro-businesses in the informal sector and bringing them to a place where they can employ at least 5 other young people to create 250,000 jobs in five years.
Since its inception in 2016, over 20,000 youth have received skills training under 2jiajiri. The bank has disbursed over KShs. 246 million loans to the youth as capital and asset financing have resulted in 64,186 jobs being created and 35,365 indirectly. A total of 4,158 small businesses are under incubation within the business development phase of the programme.
