Digital training firm Ajira has called on youths in the country to not only rely on one specific skill attained from school for the rest of their career life.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2023 East Africa Employability summit in Nairobi, Ajira Digital training and job resources manager Simon Murimi said the current job market is looking for problem solvers with more than one skill.
“The current labour market seeks one to have at least one different skill, beside the basic school training. This why we as Ajira, conduct free training programmes with possible job linkages to foster employability among the youths, who make the largest proportion of the country’s population yet the hardest hit with unemployment,” Murimi said.
Data by Youth Congress shows out of every 10 unemployed Kenyans, seven are young people aged 35 and below.
Ajira therefore calls on youths in schools and out of school to undertake extra upskilling programmes to gain an upper hand in the job market.
The training programmes offered by Ajira for example, are free running for a period as less as two days, with a minimum requirement of just a national ID.
“We are available for physical and virtual trainings within institutions, booktables and universities. We are also available out of school system, in organisations, in the digital hubs and through our local administration,” Murimi said.
"We have recently established in concurrence to the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE’s) recent skills need report, that skills mismatch, lack of soft skills and lack of self driven motif among the youths, are among reasons rendering most youths jobless."
He added that lack of linkage between training and the job industry is also another big concern for the youths in the country today.
Delegates from the summit noted that among the deliberations out of the summit, was to come up with a regional coordinated policy on dual training.
This will seek to combine both theory and practice, such that as a student or as a trainee, you are able to be in school for several months and be within an industry within your line of training for some months.
Murimi also empasised on the need for the youths to stay up to date with the evolving digital landscape specifically AI, saying it is undeniably here to stay, revolutionising industries and daily life.
Its widespread applications, from healthcare to finance, underscore its transformative potential, according to the firm.
“As AI continues to advance, it promises to enhance efficiency, automate tasks, and contribute to positive societal changes. It is important for everyone to keep abreast to the AI and other related trends through upskilling, reskilling and cross-skilling to keep-up with the change and the potential opportunities,” he added
“It is also important for young people to engage in ethical discussions to ensure responsible and beneficial use of AI.”
The firm on its operations in the country said it is looking to open more opportunities to People With Disability and the women, with a target of achieving a minimum of five per cent of trainees being PWDs and 70 per cent of participants being women.
It also recently launched the refugee community programme, focusing on ASAL region, and people who are in the refugee community in a bid to foster its inclusion agenda.
