The African Development Bank (AfDB), whose thrust is financing and promoting economic development and social progress, has agreed to fund the project.The AfDB has committed a Sh2.8 billion three-year facility to help improve access, quality and relevance of skills development in the institutions through bursaries, training of trainers and construction of more polytechnics. These efforts are expected to generate employment opportunities for the youth through hands-on skills, which is a boon for a country that has been creating fewer jobs over the past five years at a time when unemployment levels among the youth have been swelling.
“This bank’s intervention will assist in the implementation of the education sector investment programme, development of a national skills training strategy and enhancing transitions towards post-secondary training,” AfDB said in a statement. Rehabilitation of existing youth polytechnics and construction of new ones is one of the main pillars of Vision 2030, which aims to make Kenya a middle income country in 22 years from today. The vision identifies the youth polytechnics, which are mostly located in the rural areas, as the missing link in improving skills needed by small and medium-sized enterprises, which play a key role in nation-building.
The financier says new skills development efforts are necessary in the face of Kenya’s massive unskilled labour and unemployed population, a contributor to chaos like political violence.
Figures from the Ministry of Labour show that the economy has been creating fewer jobs in the five years to 2007, despite an upturn in the economy over the period, compared to the five years to 2001. In the five years to 2007, the annual job growth rate stood at about six per cent compared to annual growth rates of about nine per cent in the five years to 2001.
In-service training
The intervention will provide a new technical training institute to each of the country’s eight provinces. The bank said a total of 22,143 students will benefit over the three years. “Managers, instructors and counsellors in all the institutions will also benefit from improved training, working conditions and in-service training,” the bank said. The Ministry of Youth Affairs has set completion of 210 polytechnics as one of its targets by 2015. Plans of establishing new and refurbishing existing polytechnics have been rolled out with the Government spending about Sh100 million since last year in the exercise. Every polytechnic is staffed with Public Service Commission employed instructors and managers. The first lot of 750 instructors and 15 managers were employed in 2006/2007 and deployed to polytechnics across the country.
Those trained and may not be able to get jobs locally will be assisted for get jobs in the Middle East through a ministry’s supervised partnership with approved employment agencies.