Government Rolls Out A Sh.15B Youth Internship, Training And Mentorship Programme.

The Jubilee Government, through the Ministry of Public Service, Youth & Gender Affairs, has partnered with the World Bank and the private sector to roll out a Ksh. 15 Billion programme that will see it provide opportunities for skilled training and mentorship through internships and apprenticeship in order to address the skills gap amongst the youth.

This was revealed by the Youth Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kanini Kariuki during the Mount Kenya University’s (MKU) 10^th Graduation Ceremony where she was the chief guest.

Kariuki said that the programme, unveiled just a week earlier, will involve conversations with the youth through the media as they recruit thousands of them who will be benefiting from this programme. She added that the government had laid so much emphasis on youth programmes, noting that they were the country’s greatest assets. It was for this reason that the government was working out ways to channel their energies to growing the economy.

“I urge you to take advantage of the opportunities that will be presented to you both by the private sector, by the government and even by yourselves in terms of converting yourselves into wealth generators and enterprise developers. The government is currently taking a number of programmatic interventions to empower particularly the young people. These programmes are grounded in the conviction that our youth are our greatest assets and we want to position them to channel all their energies to growing the economy and growing our development aspirations,” said Kariuki.

Towards the principal of social and economic transformation, the CS said, the government had set aside access to affirmative funds such as the Youth Enterprise Development Fund. She said that the chairman of the Fund Bruce Odhiambo was in the process of restructuring the fund to make it more accessible to the youth.

“As he (chairman) helps in the restructuring of the fund, he should have conversations with you (youth) so that the products that he brings to the youth are indeed informed of what your requirements are. Important as well, for those of you who choose the path of moving into enterprise development should take advantage of the 30% government procurement facility extended to the youth, women and persons living with disabilities,” said the CS.

She asked the youth to take the initiative to get all the information around these programmes in order to be able to set themselves up. She therefore appealed to them to make great use of all the HUDUMA CENTRE branches across the country for information about the government programmes.

“Please get out there to any of our Huduma Centre branches and seek for information so that you can be directed to the right contact places and your journey to success can begin when you are well equipped on the knowledge of how the enterprise development market looks like,” she said.

For the youth who chose the route to employment, the CS singled out three qualities that they needed to equip themselves with as they were what employers valued over and above one’s education.

First, they needed to possess that positive ‘Can Do Will Do’ attitude. They also needed to have good work ethics such as hard work, discipline, smart work and networking. Lastly, she said, potential employees needed to be of unquestionable integrity and character, dependable and reliable.

Otherwise, she reminded the graduates that learning did not end in the attainment of a certificate or a degree. She told them that education had no boundaries thus the need to pursue more of it to remain relevant and more competitive.

She also asked them to be the change they wanted to see in the world.

“I urge you to be the change they wanted to see in the world. It starts with you.”