• They have been advised take up marketable courses such as fashion and design, electrical and plumbing, hospitality, hairdressing and beauty, and entrepreneurship.
• Experts said manual-labour courses are highly marketable as one can immediately secure a job upon completion.
Image: JOHN KAMAU
Youth have been urged to go for technical and vocational skills and stop the obsession with scarce white-collar jobs.
They have been advised take up marketable courses such as fashion and design, electrical and plumbing, hospitality, hairdressing and beauty, and entrepreneurship.
Experts in the technical field said manual-labour courses are highly marketable as one can immediately secure a job upon completion and or start their own income generating enterprises.
Gorgeous Technical Institute (GTI) director Jackie Waithera said technical knowledge and skills is the only way to end the unemployment crisis in the country.
She spoke in Juja on Friday during the graduation ceremony of 500 youths who undertook three months short courses. The programme was funded by The George Koimburi Foundation in collaboration with GTI and Heroes Technical College.
“White-collar jobs are drastically shrinking and are being taken up by technological advancements. To beat joblessness we must equip our youths with technical skills,” Waithera said.
She said the unemployment crisis has pushed many young people to drug abuse and crime.
“In the wake of the unemployment crisis, it’s imperative for the youth to get vital skills that will put them at an advantage in the job market,” Waithera said.
“Offering right training and funding the youth to establish income generating projects will help the government halfway solve joblessness challenges.”
Juja MP George Koimburi said technically equipping youth to start income generating activities will keep them away from drugs and substance abuse.
He said the government will soon establish a technical training institute in his constituency, which will be fully equipped.
Koimburi urged the government to increase education budgetary allocation to cushion struggling parents for smooth learning.
“The government should consider increasing education allocation to relieve millions of Kenyans of the burden of facilitating their children's education. Currently, the cost of living is too high and making access to education costlier will lock out many children from poor backgrounds,” he said.
The three-month short courses, he said, will enable students who failed to get opportunities to advance their studies start earning after completion.
Graduates, who benefited with the programme, expressed optimism that their lives will turn around once they get the technical knowhow in various fields.
Eunice Njoki, who trained on hospitality, said she hopes to start her own business.
She urged the government to make funds available, including the Youth Fund, Uwezo Fund and the Women Enterprise Fund, to enable them venture into businesses and contribute to the growth of the country’s economy as well as create more job opportunities.
Graduates with degrees were urged to enrol for technical short courses to improve their employability.